Homeworld
by Sergeant Plopp
Summary: In Dragon Ball Minus, Bardock and Gine sent their child away, fearing something was amiss. Luckily, their suspicions were incorrect and Planet Vegeta is unharmed. Years later, Bardock goes to retrieve his son on Earth. How will the galaxy change with the saiyans still around? (GokuXOC will not be the endgame...)
1. Chapter 1: Home

Goku collapsed onto the sand around Master Roshi's hut. "Wowie!" he sighed. "This is so much easier without the shell!"

"I know!" Krillin exclaimed.

Their master tutted. "I told you it'd pay off! You think I wear this shell for show? It's so I'm always training, even when I'm not exercising!"

The boys tested their newfound weightlessness, able to bound multiple times higher than before. Goku rolled his shoulder when he landed, easing the tension in them. "I feel way stronger, too!"

"And it's only been a day!" the noseless boy said.

Roshi dropped his staff to the sand. "Oh no!" he gasped.

"What's wrong, Master Roshi?" Goku inquired. The boy had a strong sense of justice, and clearly something was amiss.

"I think I felt that…" Krillin announced, his face became fearful.

The old man gulped. "It felt as if a thousand voices called out and then were suddenly silenced…"

The boy felt left out. "What do you mean?"

"Something powerful just touched down on earth, Goku," Roshi explained. "Something that just killed a lot of people," He had a thought he desperately wished was wrong. "Piccolo..?"

Krillin became frightened at the name's mention. "You don't think it was him, right? Y-you're just fooling?"

"I don't know," Roshi admitted, adjusting his spectacles. "Whatever it is, it's out of our league."

Goku steeled himself. "That shouldn't matter! If someone's out there hurting people, we have to stop them!"

"No, we need to hide! Haven't you ever heard of Piccolo?!" the bald boy screamed.

"Calm down! No one is doing anything. Whoever it is just killed people. Lots of them," Roshi said. "The best we can do is get stronger and beat them. I do have a technique, but it's risky!"

Goku, despite his lacking intelligence, had a good thought. "Where are they?"

Roshi turned around and pointed. "That direction. But don't-"

"Flying Nimbus!" Goku shouted, leaping into the air.

"No, Goku!" Krillin shouted, trying to get him to stop.

But it was a futile attempt. Goku was already in the air, speeding off. Roshi shook his head. "That poor, foolish boy…"

OxOxO

Bardock peeled himself from his pod. The man stretched his sore muscles, glancing around at the scenery. A series of deafening booms alerted him to his comrades' position. "Hey!" he barked. "Quit messing around! We just have to get my son, and then we're out of here!" the saiyan man announced.

"Come on, Bardock," Panbukin bellowed. "We don't even know where the brat is! Let us have a little fun."

The man grumbled, folding his arms and staring at the burning buildings. There wasn't any glory to be had in slaughtering this planet. It was inhabited by almost the weakest species he had ever known. Earth was almost not worth the effort.

"I don't know, guys," Tora said in a teasing manner. "Maybe we should encourage this kind of behaviour! I mean, waiting until his son was thirteen to retrieve him?"

"It's not that I didn't care, and you know it," Bardock barked. "I had good reason to suspect what I did. There- There just wasn't a good time to get him til now! In fact, I'm sure he's better off living away from you ruffians."

Borgos sighed. "I suppose you're right. We just got more freedom with that promotion."

"We all worked hard to make a name for the Bardock's Elite. And only now can we get my son," the captain declared.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Fasha snorted.

"I don't." he grumbled.

Borgos laughed heartily. "Heads up, fifty-four incoming!"

The scarred man tapped a button on his scouter. "Pretty far away still. It's going up and down…" Bardock noted.

"I got a twenty and a one twenty one trailing behind him," the woman announced.

"I can verify," the fat saiyan said.

Tora clapped his best friend on the back. "Probably not Kakarot, then. We can just deal with those guys, and head to the biggest one. Borgos said it was a couple hundred. That's decent for an infiltration baby."

As they neared the saiyans, Bardock gathered sky blue energy in his palm, only for the reading of fifty to disappear. They extinguished their blasts; utterly baffled. "What the hell? No one just killed that thing..?"

A blue beam of crackling unstable energy flew past Fasha. Without a second thought, she fired a thin beam from her finger, piercing the attacker. Bardock turned to observe the reading, he was genuinely shocked in a multitude of ways. Firstly, that the weak reading had snuck up on a trained pack of saiyans. Secondly, that the boy resembled him. Thirdly, that it was his son that had been attacked.

"Oh, shit!" Tora yelled. "That's… Kakarot..."

The woman was on him in seconds, making sure she hadn't made a big mistake. "Dammit! Sorry, Bardock!"

"It's just his shoulder," Bardock frowned, observing the boy. His boy. "He'll be fine. I had my tail ripped off when I was a pup. Went on to kill that whole sector right after."

Fasha pressed hard on the bleeding wound. "Yeah, but you saw his power level. He ain't exactly you."

Borgos glared suspiciously at the stoic man. "I'm shocked. Fasha could've just killed your boy, and you don't react at all. You didn't shut up about him until we started to come here."

"But she didn't," he reasoned. "No reason to lose my cool."

"Yeah, or we might have another Gorumbo incident." Panbukin reminded.

Bardock fixated his eyes on the fat saiyan. "That wasn't my fault."

The saiyan with the ponytail looked behind them. "Look, it's some earthlings," He said eagerly, raising his hand.

Goku coughed, grasping at his shoulder. Fasha kept him down and her palm firmly on his bloodying white shirt. "Wait!"

Tora complied, pushing Bardock forward. "Go meet him."

He crouched in front of the boy. "Hello, Kakarot."

The boy raised an eyebrow in confusion, ceasing his futile struggling. "Who the heck are you?"

"I'm your dad. Bardock," he explained, letting his tail swish behind him. "We came to take you back home."

Goku glared at him, resuming his attempt to wiggle out of Fasha's grip. "Liar! My dad wouldn't kill people!"

He looked behind him at the wreck that once passed as a city. Smoldering ruins and smoke surrounded them. "It was an accident. Our ships landed on the buildings by mistake. We were supposed to get you and leave, but this planet's rotation had other plans," he calmly explained.

His frown dropped into a goofy smile despite his bleeding arm. "Oh yeah, one time my friend Bulma crashed a car into me. It would probably break a house."

Bardock regarded him with a frown. He seemed mentally challenged or something. With his weak power level and soft personality, was it even worth it to pick him up? Sure, he felt an attachment because they were kin, but he still asked himself.

"Well, let's get you patched up and we can go," Tora smirked, placing his fists on his hips.

"Maaa-fuuu-ba!" someone cried.

The scarred warrior turned around swiftly, redirecting the blast headed for him. "You got a death wish, old man?"

"Wah!" Krillin cried. "He looks just like Goku!"

He looked to his son. "You know these baldies?"

"Hey!" Borgos shouted accusatorily.

"That's my friend Krillin and my Master Roshi," Goku coughed. "Don't hurt em."

They extinguished their attacks, focusing on the boy.

"Hey guys! This is my dad!" the boy shouted to them.

The old man approached them cautiously. "So you're the one that left him abandoned in the woods all those years ago?"

Bardock rubbed his nose with his thumb. "Sort of."

"Why did you destroy this place?" Roshi questioned with hostility.

"They got in the way of our spaceships, old man," the woman teased.

The old man's jaw dropped. "You're aliens?"

"For you," Tora retorted, smirking.

"Say, if you're my dad, who are all of you people?" the boy asked innocently.

Finally, a question that wasn't stupid. "I'm Bardock. This is Fasha."

"Yo," she said, slightly lifting her fingers from his wound.

He pointed beside him. "Tora."

"Hey, Kakarot."

"Borgos."

The balding saiyan nodded. "Humph."

"Panbukin."

He smirked, raising his moustache. "Nice to meet you kiddo."

"My name's Goku," he greeted.

Bardock shook his head. "It's Kakarot."

"My grandpa named me Goku," he explained cheerily.

"Well, your mother and I named you Kakarot." Bardock shot back.

The boy paused in thought. "Then just call me Goku. It's what I prefer."

He smirked. Maybe his son wasn't so stupid after all. "Whatever. Does this planet have shit to fix you?"

"There's- was. There was a hospital here." Roshi answered, feeling sick.

Tora took something out of his breast armor pocket. He sighed, holding the bottle up. "I got some kolto."

Bardock shook his head. "That's expensive to just carry around. Don't waste it on this."

Fasha scoffed, removing a similar bottle from her armor. "I just fucking shot your kid. Seems like the perfect time to use it."

She uncapped it, pouring the blue liquid on the open wound. Goku watched as it closed miraculously. "Wow! That stuff's pretty cool!"

Bardock grabbed him, pushing hard at the base of his spine with his thumb. Goku sputtered as his tail painfully regrew.

"Goku has a tail?" Krillin mused aloud.

The boy stood up. "Wow, it's back! That was a cool trick! Thanks a lot!"

Bardock nodded. "Well, come on. We have to get going. Gotta make a stop on the way home."

"Wait. Another planet? But I want to stay on earth. I'm training!" Goku enthusiastically begged.

"We're going to a whole planet of strong people," Borgos chuckled. "We saiyans know all there is about fighting."

"Really?" Goku beamed. "But I made a promise to train with Master Roshi..."

"Goku, this man just killed a whole city! She almost killed you!" Roshi shouted.

"It was an accident!" the woman said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, plus I attacked first," Goku pointed out. "And I'm fine now."

Bardock glared, impatiently getting fed up with all this talking. "You want to come with us and meet your family and race and get stronger or stay here and die weak? No matter the choice you personally make, I'm taking you along."

"I want to get stronger!" Goku said, eyes alight with the fire of determination.

Roshi sighed in defeat. "It'll be a real shame to lose you. Please, Goku. Don't lose yourself."

Goku nodded. "I'm going to be the strongest."

Tora smiled at the boy. He too remembered a time of such innocent naivety. Sadly, this boy was very weak.

"His power's already tripled just by having the tail back." Borgos announced with genuine surprise.

The father smirked. Maybe he was great at improving, and that explained his power level of two at birth. He was destined to grow into greatness, not be born great.

"Let's hustle up," Fasha shouted, dusting off her hands. This only lead to blood smearing on her white gloves. "We gotta be on Piscus yesterday."

They all approached their pods, Goku bouncing behind his father. "Bye guys!" he waved.

Krillin weakly waved, dumbfounded at the entire situation. His friend was an alien? Well, it wasn't the most unbelievable thing on this strange world.

Bardock yanked him into the pod and the door closed. "I have to make a call. Behave," the saiyan man said, tapping at a holographic keyboard.

In moments, a screen appeared. Goku watched as a purple face appeared on it, smiling pleasantly. "Hello, Captain Bardock."

"Lord Cooler," he gruffly spoke, nodding.

Cooler fixated his red eyes on the boy in awe in his lap. "Ah, the errand has went off without a hitch, I see. And you're still on schedule. This is why you're simply the better choice when it comes to actually getting things accomplished."

Bardock nodded in acknowledgment. "Thank you, sir."

"However, the time limit of the Piscus mission has been erased. Therefore, I am sending the Armored Squadron in your stead. Enjoy the vacation," Cooler gave a brief smile. "And the time with your son."

"Thank you, sir," the man said. "I'll be sure to tell my teammates."

Cooler's face disappeared, leaving the boy to look out the red tinted window. Bardock clacked away at the blue keyboard, finally looking up at his son.

"Who was that?" he asked.

Bardock looked at his eyes. "That's my boss, Lord Cooler. Good news. We're going to Planet Vegeta instead of a mission. I'm going to turn on stasis and we'll sleep until we get there."

"Okay, dad," Goku agreed, sitting comfortably in his lap.

Bardock may have been his father, but something irked him about how trusting this boy was. He'd no proof they were related and he ate it up! The man pressed a button, and they were asleep in moments.

OxOxO

Goku yawned, stretching out in the cramped craft. Bardock put his arms down for him after he was struck in the face. "Keep your arms to yourself. We're back home," he announced. "Don't do anything stupid and stay quiet."

The pod opened and they stepped out. The humanoid dock worker with green hair smiled. "Yo, Bardock! Nice to see the kid recovery mission was a success."

Bardock shrugged. "I guess so," he handed a card to the man. "Fill 'er up. Probably be heading out soon."

Goku waved as they walked away. "This place is so different from Earth!" he noted.

"Yeah, I can't imagine living thinking the sky can only be blue. All this red makes me glad I go around the galaxy rather than sticking around," Bardock admitted, pressing a hand to the door. "It's so goddamn plain around here."

They took one step outside and the boy staggered. "Ugh, I feel so heavy!"

The man rolled his eyes. Gravity. "I'll carry you to the house just this once, because we're on a schedule."

Goku climbed up on his father's shoulders. He slumped onto his hair. "Can I get used to this?"

"It's just gravity. It'll probably make you stronger," he hoped. They took to the skies, flying over the structures of the spaceport.

"You can fly without a cloud?" Goku beamed. "Oh shoot, we forgot Nimbus!"

The saiyan man sighed. His son was farther behind than he thought. Maybe he would have to place him in the class for the children who come back early on accident… Kakarot certainly was not ahead of his game.

"That's the house, down there," he pointed to the largest one in the area. Of course, it was not much bigger. Just slightly so, because they had a higher than average income. Being directly employed by Cooler himself paid well.

"What's mom like? I thought she was Fasha for a minute," Goku said, breathing on his father's hair.

He chuckled to himself. "Wasn't the first time, won't be the last. You'll see," he vaguely explained, touching down.

Goku's mouth opened in protest, but he closed it when his father went for the keypad. An eager woman with large eyes tore the door open, smiling warmly at them. "Hello!"

Goku returned with an equally warm smile. "You're my mom?"

She tore him awkwardly from Bardock's shoulders, causing him to nearly fall over. Gine embraced the small saiyan, holding him close. "Kakarot," she breathed. "Oh… It's been so long…"

Goku looked at her, frowning apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember either of you."

"You were an infant when we sent you away," Bardock said, leading them inside.

Gine sat next to him on their couch. Bardock stood opposite them. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Can… Can I answer any? Do you need a snack?"

Surprisingly, he wasn't hungry. He felt somber. "I never knew I had family my entire life. I never even thought about it, really."

Bardock frowned. "That's something that's been on my mind. Your pod should've told you everything you needed to know…"

The boy shrugged. "My grandpa Gohan told me he found me when I was a baby in the forest. That's all I know about my early life. This is just… Wow! To think I have parents! And I'm an alien? This is so exciting!"

Gine nodded, a little saddened by his admissions. "We're Saiyans. This is Planet Vegeta, Kakarot."

"Uh, I already talked to dad about this, but can you call me Goku? That's the name my grandpa gave me," the boy asked.

A part of Gine died a little on the inside. "Okay, Goku."

"Why did you leave me on earth?" he innocently inquired.

"I thought someone was going to destroy the planet, but that doesn't leave this room. Understand?" Bardock roughly stated. His son nodded, so he continued. "My boss, Cooler, stopped the guy who was going to do that."

"That's good you saved everyone. What's your job?" he asked.

"I'm a butcher and a cook. If you've inherited your father's appetite, I'm sure you'll be very happy here," Gine chuckled. Goku's eyes lit up.

"But are you strong?"

His mother shook her head. "No."

Bardock decided to paraphrase his profession. "I'm a mercenary. I fight people Lord Cooler pay me to."

"I really want to fight, and become stronger," the boy said with determined eyes.

"You'll fit in around here," Bardock appraised him. "But to be perfectly blunt, your power is way below average. And your clothes are ridiculous."

"Bardock!" Gine scolded. "I'm below average, you still love me."

"But you aren't my son. We train tomorrow. For now, let's get something suitable for you to wear and then dinner," the man explained, although, it came out as more like an order.

Goku followed him sluggishly as they walked down the hall. "This gravity is still really strong."

"Not really," Bardock rolled his eyes. "You'll get used to it."

They came to a stop at one of the three doors on the left. It opened to reveal very spartan quarters. "This is my room?"

The man gave a curt nod. "Used to be your brother's, but he didn't use it very often. He got put on the Prince's team."

"Wow, I've got a brother? What's his name?" Goku asked, amazed that he had even more family.

"It's Raditz. You probably won't see much of him. He's even busier than me," He pulled a spandex suit and cumbersome armor from the closet. Goku caught it, regarding it with a raised eyebrow.

"Armor like yours?"

The father nodded. "Get changed then come to the kitchen. Your mother made something special."

He eagerly complied, fitting the small black and white armor on. Of course, he put on the black spandex first. Goku had some minor difficulty getting his new tail to fit through. When he was finished, the boy looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. "Cool, but it's not too comfy."

So Goku trudged through the hall, slowly getting used to the gravity. Instantly, his nostrils were met with a pleasant smell. Rounding the corner, he felt a tad self-conscious. The meal looked like only a fraction of what he would normally eat. "Is there more?" he slowly asked, careful to phrase such an impolite request politely.

Gine chuckled. "No worries. This meat is genetically modified," Seeing that he was confused, she decided to use simpler terms. "It makes you fuller but it still has enough nutrients to keep your metabolism satisfied."

Goku bobbed his head in acknowledgment. "Oh, so we can eat less but more?"

"Not quite," the woman giggled. "Imagine this: Planet Vegeta is full of people who eat as much as you do. We'd run out of food pretty fast, huh?"

"Oh, I get it now. They made it so less food makes us less hungry," Goku reasoned.

Bardock was kicking himself. He was known for being a tactician. He didn't consider himself the brainiest guy, but he had wits. It would appear his son was a moron. Just one of the many downsides of the Frieza conspiracy ordeal.

"Now let's eat," he gruffly declared.

The small family dug in, devouring the meal. Well, Gine paced herself. She ate like a bird. It was one of the many mannerisms that set her apart from the other saiyans.

In an attempt to get them to slow down, she spoke up. "Parslee and Tato just took their child out of the incubator. Sending him to some outer rim world pretty soon."

Bardock grumbled in acknowledgment. He swallowed roughly. "Bout damn time. That Parslee is even softer than you, Gine," he chuckled.

Gine smirked slowly. "I'm just happy there are saiyans like us. Kak-Goku, saiyan couples are a rare thing."

"Really?" he asked, food stuffed in his mouth. "Why's that?" He didn't particularly understand, but he wanted to bond with these people.

"Most saiyans are employed as soldiers. They either don't care, or don't have time for relationships," Bardock answered. "I'm a special case. I'm so strong I'm privately employed. I get vacations and breaks, and others don't."

Goku swallowed hard. "So what about Parsley and Potato?"

"Parslee and Tato," his mother corrected. "They're soldiers on the same squad. Like Tora and Fasha."

"Do those guys fight whoever… Cooly tells them to?" Goku inquired.

Bardock nodded. He was unsure how his righteous son would react to ethnic cleansings.

"We'll probably get you enrolled in the training facility soon. So you can meet others your age and actually advance. I don't claw my way up from third class ranking just to have weak children," Bardock rudely and coldly challenged. "But first we have to get you adjusted."

Gine punched his arm. "Stop being rude to him."

"It's fine. Now that I know how much stronger everyone is, it gives me more motivation to get strong," Goku smiled, pumping his fist. "Can't fight strong guys if I'm not on their level!"

"See? I'm adding fuel to the fire in his heart," the man smirked, taking a sip from his cup of wine. Ingesting said wine would destroy the livers of species with lower alcohol tolerances.

"And if it turns out fighting isn't your thing, there are plenty of alternatives. Bardock's status gives you plenty of freedom. After the king died, he's the strongest saiyan," Gine said, likewise sipping.

The man scoffed, leaning back. "I was stronger before that asshole tried to kill Frieza, debatably."

Goku just had so many things running in his mind. But he was getting sleepy. His head slumped with a thud onto the table, clattering the silverware.

"Aaaaand he's asleep." Gine announced. "I didn't know we were that boring!" the saiyan woman scoffed.

"It's probably the stasis gas," he observed. "Used too much for him, maybe. He'll live."

Gine bit her lip. "He's different from us. I don't think he'll fit in very well."

"That's while we'll fix it. I sent him away, it's my fault," the man admitted.

"I should have gone with him, Bardock," she moaned, putting her head in her hands.

Bardock stood up, embracing her from behind. "There's no use worrying about the past. We can't go back, nor can we go forward."

"I know, I know, we have to live in the present. I've heard the same Morals every saiyan has," she said, referring to their people's cultural stories. Nursery rhymes akin to the legend of the super saiyan.

"But not Kakarot," Bardock realized, putting his chin in the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry I made such a rash decision."

"But it wasn't nothing. If Cooler hadn't convinced his brother Vegeta was important…" Gine trailed off, shaking her head. "Can't live in the past."

Bardock kissed her passionately. "It all was okay. It's okay. It will be okay."

The man picked up his son. The couple marched down their hallway, stopping only to put their son in his bed. Bardock and Gine continued to their shared bedroom.

Bardock flopped onto his side. Gine carefully laid down. "Why are you back so early, by the way?"

Bardock rolled over, looking into her large eyes. "Cooler reassigned the mission to the Armored Squadron. He said it was because he didn't need someone efficient, but I suspect it was because of Kakarot."

"That was generous," she noted. "He's so much more fair than his brother."

"What's your game plan tomorrow? I have to leave," Bardock whispered.

"I was going to take Goku to the armory, and get him signed up for the next round of basic training," Gine recited her mind's contents. "Maybe show him around town. I'll take the day off."

Bardock sighed, nuzzling into her neck. "Those rebels in the Renait sector are causing a lot of trouble. I ship out at twelve-hundred tomorrow. Hoping to have it cleared in time for the festival."

"Just be safe. I die every time you're late. I worry about you, I hope you know that," She pecked him on the cheek.

The man laid back. Gine supported herself on his chest. "As if you ever let me forget… Gine, I can't make promises I can't keep."

"Then lie to me."

"I can't do that. Look on the bright side, though. I'll probably be home when you wake up. I have errands before I leave," Bardock droned.

Gine heard some rustling from the other room. "Restless sleeper?" she asked.

"Probably," the man agreed. "I'm the same way, and so was my father."

The woman fell asleep, leaving her mate to ponder in the darkness. Kakarot seemed like a huge liability. Honestly, if he didn't change he would be a complete embarrassment. But the man tucked those thoughts away. How could he sleep with worry and adrenaline pumping through his body?

So he snarled, closing his eyes tight.


	2. Chapter 2: Foxtrot

Gine was in her son's room at the crack of dawn. Bardock had woken her up while he was leaving, and she couldn't get back to sleep. Waking her son was the only option she saw.

"Ka- Goku! It's time to get up." she called, drawing the blinds. Red tinged light filtered in.

Goku sprung up quickly. It would appear he was quite the early riser. "Good, you're up. I thought that maybe you guys got up later."

Gine smiled, handing him a bar. "Breakfast ration. We have some errands to run today."

He had to admit, the gravity was growing on him. It felt natural after sleeping in it. The boy graciously accept the brown rectangle, munching on it. "Tastes pretty good."

"For a brick huh?" Gine joked. She tossed him the hand me down chestplate.

Goku struggled to fit into it, but was successful. "So what are we gonna do today?"

The mother and child strolled for the door. Gine took extra precaution and locked it behind them. Their income made them robbery targets, and both of them were no strong warriors.

He was in awe of the new sights. On the way over, he hadn't really noticed the scenery. The ground and sky were red, and the houses were off-red. Structures that looked like misshapen beehives littered the area.

"Gine!" and old woman croaked from the domicile across the way.

The woman waved, looking down to her child. "Oh, hi! Say hi, Goku. This is Jinjer."

"Hiya! My names Goku." he greeted.

The old woman shook and fidgeted in her old age. "You best watch yourself today. There's a storm-a-comin. I can feel it in my bones." she warned, pointing a skeletal finger at them.

The woman chuckled. "Okay, Jinjer." She was the oldest among the saiyans.

Unnerved by her, the small boy cowered. "What kind of a storm?"

Old Jinjer barked with laughed. She cracked her neck. "I'm only fooling, boy. Ya should've seen your face! Who would've thought Bardock's boy would be so cowardly."

"I'm not a coward!" he retorted. "You just look like a skeleton covered in wet paper!"

Gine gave him a glare of disapproval. "Don't be rude to her!"

Jinjer cackled once more. The sound rang across the neighborhood. "There it is! Now you sound like the spawn of Vegeta's best warrior." Her thin lips became a smile. "Get along, then. You're blocking my view."

Goku turned around to see what she saw. The sunrise was breathtaking. "Wow." he breathed. Nothing on earth compared to it. Somehow, the red sky made it even more beautiful.

"Yeah, wow." Jinjer parroted. "Beautiful, idn't it? In between all the fighting and whatnot, don't forget this. If ya just slow down and stop for stuff like this, it's worth more than any title or conquest. Don't forget that, ya hear me boy?"

Goku turned around, determined smirk on his face. His eyes twinkled with youth. "I won't, Old Jinjer."

"Call me that again and I'll rip your tail off." she warned, not threatened. She cracked a smile. "Now git."

Gine waved as they continued their walk. "She's nice, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Goku nodded. "For a skeleton."

"Kakarot. I mean Goku, don't insult people like that. Especially your elders. Not only is it rude, but you might get hurt." she sternly warned.

Goku looked up at her. "Ah, okay. Sorry."

The mother led her son through the red maze of buildings. They stopped in front of the white on with a transparent door. It automatically opened as the duo walked in.

The short saiyan at the desk threw her spiky hair out of her eyes. "What's up?" the youth asked, putting her palms on the counter.

"Armor for my son." Gine explained.

The girl hopped on the counter and looked down at him. "No kidding! That doesn't suit him at all." She knelt behind the counter. "Blue undersuit. Sleeveless. Aaaand… how about a black chest piece, white shoulder pads?"

"Uh do you have any…" Goku combed his mind, looking deep inside himself. "Orange?"

The girl peeked over the counter down at him. "That would be atrocious! Closest I have is dark orange pads on that black armor. But then a white undersuit might be better…"

"As long as it fits, I'm fine!" he assured. Goku climbed up to see the counter. The boy jumped back as she set the bulky armor and folded suit and boots down.

"Okay, gloves or gauntlets?" she asked, turning around.

Goku made a sound of unsurety. "Uh, does it matter?"

"Gauntlets." Gine said, offering her credit chip to the girl.

"Thanks. By the way, what's your name? I'm Goku." he said, putting the gauntlets on.

"I'm Kon." she nodded. "Ain't you just a cutie?"

The boy observed his newly protected wrists. "Aren't we the same age?"

"I'm twenty. No growth spurt." Kon clarified. "You could be five for all I know, and it's obvious you're green."

He shook his head. "I'm Goku."

The youthful woman rolled her eyes. "Here's your chip back, Miss."

Gine accepted it, tucking it in her armor's compartment. "Thanks."

Goku was particularly enjoying his new life on Vegeta. They left the armory, battle gear tucked under their arms. "Where now, mom?"

"Since your father can't train you, I was going to get you into one of the training centers." she explained. "Fight with others around your level."

"Ah, okay. Then what?" asked Goku.

The woman had been put on the spot. There wasn't really a plan in place. Then she had an idea. "Maybe I can show you where I work?"

"Where's that? The food place?" he asked.

"It's the Saiya City Meat Distribution Center. By the way, this is the capital." Gine explained, readjusting the boots in her hands.

"Yeah, that sounds fun."

In front of them was a massive building. It resembled an earth stadium, but there was a building in the front of it. Like the other building, it had glass doors.

So the mother entered, child behind her. "Hello." Gine greeted the thin man at the desk.

"How can I help you?" he droned effeminately, twirling his moustache.

"I'm here to sign up for training." Goku beamed, smiling at the man.

"Well, most of the squads are filled up…" the saiyan man announced in a bored tone, accepting the card from the woman. "Oh, you're Bardock's son!"

"Yup, my name is Goku." he introduced himself. "When can I start?"

"Cute nickname." he taunted. "I have to put Kakarot on the registration, though. Why don't you head on back and meet your squad while I get you signed up?" The man said, pointing to his left. "Go down that hall, into the locker room for room F6 and meet with them."

Goku looked at him confusedly, then his mother.

"Go on. It'll take a while." Gine assured.

So the boy took off down the hallway. Rounding the corner, he was met with twenty six doors. Thirteen on each side, and they were evenly spaced out. It was a very long hallway. Goku surmised that the hallway on the clerk's right had the same basic structure.

He looked at the first one. The door had characters he couldn't read. Goku doubled back, going to the reception.

"What's wrong? Couldn't find it? It's really easy." The clerk effeminately assured, looking up.

"Well, I got so caught up in the fact that we speak the same language, I forgot I can't read the space letters!" he admitted.

Gine sighed. "That's right." Turning her head back to the man, she smiled. "He just came back from a conquest."

The mustachioed saiyan frowned. "Pod malfunction?" He sighed. "Sucks, don't it."

"I can read the language of Earth." Goku assured.

"Rootaba!" he shouted, hurting their ears and startling them.

"WHAT?!" someone bellowed from behind the door at his back.

He turned around. "This boy can't read! Show him F6!"

The tall saiyan had to duck out from under the doorway to fit through. She was the largest woman the boy had ever seen. Rootaba flexed her large muscles just by staring.

"Come on, pup." she deeply grunted, motioning toward the door with her eyes.

Goku followed in awe. "Wow, you're the biggest lady I've ever seen."

"Heh, thanks kid. I worked hard for these muscles." Rootaba smirked. "And they aren't just for show."

They walked around the corner. She pointed at the third door on the left. "You know your colors?"

"Ya!" he nodded.

She turned around. "It's the first door with purple letters on it. You should learn to read."

"Well, I just got here yesterday." he explained, approaching the door.

It opened before him. A simple turn led him to a white tiled area. There was a simple small shower area with six shower heads and six lockers. Beyond that was a door where he heard fighting sounds.

Goku set his load on the bench, walking through the far doorway. It led to a simple gymnasium area that was small. All eyes were on him.

The biggest one grunted in acknowledgment.

"Who the heck are you, small fry?" the one with long sideburns that went past his jaw asked.

"My name's Goku." he greeted. "I'm on this squad now.

Sideburns laughed. "That's a dumb name! I'm Niuno."

The girl in pink armor gave a swift wave. "I'm Ruco. Welcome to the Foxtrot Force."

"The name is Sargomel. I'm the de facto leader of this outfit." the short girl with hair similar to his explained, shaking his hand. Their hair wasn't identical, as she had more hair that curved down.

The boy with gravity defying hair similar to grass curtly bowed. "I'm Tarble."

Goku looked expectantly at the tallest of them all. He has some sort of jewelry on his forehead and neck. "Hello?"

The saiyan with the sideburns smirked, throwing a hand in the air. "That's Broly. We call him Quash though, because he doesn't talk much and he's really strong."

"No," Ruco argued, rolling her eyes, "you call him Quash. We call him by his name."

Goku put his fists on his hips, smiling at the large boy. "Do you like Broly or Quash better? I'll call you that."

The giant boy met his eyes. Goku was unnerved before he smile. "Quash."

"Oh." Tarble mused. "I guess he prefers it."

"You guys pretty strong?" Goku eagerly inquired.

Sargomel glanced at the white floor. "Uh, well, not exactly."

"We can fix that." Goku smiled genuinely. Then he looked at all of them.

They had differing undersuits and pad placement, but their chestplate colors were identical. White with brown straps or pads. In violet, the symbol adorning the door was on the right breast plate.

As if reading his mind, Niuno put up a hand as if refusing something. "No required uniform. We just did this as a show of camaraderie."

Ruco cracked a lopsided smile, leaning against Broly with her elbow. She blew her messy hair out of her eyes. "We're pretty tight-knit!"

Their de facto captain sighed. "I suggested it because there's a prince on our squad! Goku, you don't have to, but I'd appreciate it if you could at least put on the symbol."

Goku looked at the large boy. "Oh, is Quash a prince? Nice jewelry!"

Tarble blushed and Broly chuckled. "Ah, no. I am Prince Tarble."

The newest recruit nodded, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, sorry. Say, can we train?"

Niuno smirked, chuckling condescendingly. "Alright, Goku. Why don't you fight a saibaman then?" he joked.

"Alright, just get him!" Goku beamed. "I want to show you what I've got."

Tarble put a hand on his shoulder. "Ah, are you sure? Do you know what a saibaman is?"

"Nope. But I'll try." the eager boy assured.

The female captain sighed, taking a remote from her armor. She tugged at the jumpsuit that ended above her knees. "Alright then."

"Come on, don't do that! He might get hurt!" Ruco begged.

The girl, Sargomel, rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to get him killed. We aren't allowed lethal ones. Not since Collaflar got blown up."

Broly laughed heartily.

Goku, undeterred, dropped into a stance facing the wall. "I'm ready!"

A small green creature dropped from the ceiling, skittering inquisitively. It opened it's mouth, clicking menacingly.

"Fight him." the girl pointed to Goku. "Don't kill him."

Goku adjusted his stance.

"That's a shitty pose. You're so open!" Niuno noted, scoffing at him.

The green creature shot forward. As Goku proved, his pose granted him greater freedom to react. The boy backflipped out of the way of the swipe.

The saibaman didn't relent. Goku finally was able to kick him in the face, sending him away.

It opened its mouth, exposing sharp teeth. Yellow light escaped the creature's throat.

"Kamehaaameee-Ha!" Goku shouted, gathering energy and releasing it to meet the beam. Part of back wall collapsed, leaving only the metal frame.

There was no sign of the weakened saibaman.

"Pretty good." a rough voice grunted. Bardock carefully pulled himself through the girders, meeting the children. "But that wasn't a full-strength saibaman."

They all bowed or saluted as a sign of respect, save for Goku and Broly.

The boy smiled and waved, despite the property damage. "Hi, dad."

"Wow, Bardock's your dad?!" Ruco beamed. "That explains the hair, and the cool display."

Niuno nodded, wearing a face of surprise. "I take back everything I said about you. How'd you do that?" Goku had briefly multiplied his power into that attack.

"I think it works like my Galick Gun." guessed Tarble, putting a finger in the air.

"I just came to say goodbye." Bardock coldly explained. "Got word you were here, so I came over. Bye."

"See you." The boy smiled, launching at his father for a hug. Bardock swatted him away, into the floor.

Bardock frowned, cringing at his son. "Uh, sorry."

Goku stood up. He wasn't mad. "It's fine. Good reflexes, dad."

The man abruptly turned around and walked out through the wall.

Most everyone in the Foxtrot Force was in shock. Bardock was a celebrity among saiyans. Some considered him to be the saiyan warrior-god's incarnation. Everyone knew of the saiyan who had broken the class system and gotten them employed under Cooler.

Personally, he didn't buy into it himself. Bardock wasn't superstitious or religious. He just agreed that ancient texts had some good life lessons. The man scoffed when people regarded him as more than a person.

So, when the newest member of your low class squad shows up, and the person everyone know is his father, one would get a little excited. Tarble was even amazed, and he was a crown prince!

"Goku, you may have a dumb name, but you're alright." Niuno smirked, raising his eyebrows.

Ruco clasped her hands, smiling wide. "Soooo cool."

Tarble put his hands on his head in amazement. "Yeah."

Sargomel nodded slowly, smiling genuinely and putting her hands on her hips. She appraised Goku with her careful eyes. "I sense great things in the future for the Foxtrot Force."

Broly grunted, lifting his head up.

Goku put his hand behind his head. "I dunno about that. I just want to fight."

"Me too." Broly monotoned.

Sargomel dusted off her hands. "Alright, let's hit the showers. You doing anything after this, Goku?"

"We usually go hang around town afterward." Ruco clarified.

The large boy looked down at them. "I can't do anything after this."

Niuno clapped a hand on Goku's shoulder pad. "We were going to mess with Old Jinjer."

"He means listen to her stories." Tarble explained, rolling his eyes.

"You have to go to the palace anyway, so what does it matter?" Ruco queried.

Goku shrugged, tail lashing behind him. "I think my mom was going to show me around town. I only came here yesterday."

"Oh, really?" Tarble asked. "Most of us came back in the last few years. We aren't exactly the strongest guys in the facility either."

"Who is?" the new boy asked.

"That's the Zulu Sextet." Ruco explained. "They're the strongest. If you hadn't guessed, the further down the alphabet they are, the stronger."

"We're the sixth to last." Niuno bitterly scowled.

"I'm not so good with numbers. And I can't read." Goku innocently admitted.

"Same." Broly bellowed, staring Goku in the eyes. "Pod malfunction."

"Ya know, I'm shocked." Sargomel said, moving towards the door. "Quash has spoken more now than I've ever heard." she joked.

Goku rushed into the locker room, scooping up his armor and moving to the far door.

They all began to peel off their armor.

"Alright, see you guys!" Goku cheered, walking out.

Ruco was the one to reciprocate. "See ya!"

So the boy left, entering the hallway. Goku walked into the lobby, spying his mother. "Uh, I sort of broke the wall."

"And killed a saibaman, from what I hear." the mustachioed saiyan complimented. "F6 is lucky to have you. We'll be expecting great things."

Gine smiled at him, motioning him to come forward. "Don't worry. People break things here all the time."

"Alright, Kakarot." the man said. "You're signed up. Next week you begin instruction."

He nodded and they left the building. Goku enjoyed this planet. It was full of people like him. No one called him weird, just his name.

But he did miss the people that called him weird back on earth. It didn't bother him that they did, but they were the only ones to. His friends.

A part of him regretted leaving the earth behind. Leaving Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong. Master Roshi and Krillin. Even Chi-Chi, he guessed.

But when he looked at his mother, it felt worth it. He couldn't help smiling at the thought of his new family. It wasn't something he had considered he had.

Now, it would seem he had new friends. He would never forget this he left behind, but he wouldn't let it consume him either. Goku was still happy, so what did it matter where he was?

Maybe he'd go back someday. Then his ears caught the back end of something Gine was saying.

He shook his head. "What?" The boy questioned, eyebrow raised. "I was thinking."

Gine rolled her eyes,giving him a warm smile. "I said: how was it meeting your squad?"

"It was pretty fun. They say they aren't strong, but I know they are. Or they can be." Goku explained. "There's Table, he's a prince. The captain has hair like mine, her names Sargomel. Ruco-"

"Prince Tarble is on your team? Wow." Gine complimented. "The others?"

"Ruco seems pretty nice. She like pink, I think. Broly, but we call him Quash. It's because he's big and strong and doesn't talk." he blabbed. Pausing, he thought. "Oh yeah! Niuno. He seems mean at first, but he's nice."

"Sounds like a good time. Please, try to get along with them." Gine doubted he had a mean bone in his body, but she asserted that fact. "Y'know, I met your father in basic training."

Goku looked up at her. "Really?"

She nodded, looking ahead. "That was back when all saiyans were conscripted, regardless of power. It got to point where he was saving me from danger so much, that I just came back home and became a meat worker. And then we fell in love." Gine breathed, clasping her hands.

"Is that the place?" Goku pointed to the large building ahead of them. People of all shapes and sizes filtered in and out regularly.

"Yeah." Gine assured. "This is where I work."

He followed her through the crowd of people. It was hard to focus with all the ruckus. He stopped when his mother did.

Gine greeted the saiyan in front of her. She was rotund with thin hair that clung to her face, obscuring her ears.

"Hey Gine. This the kid?" she asked.

"Sure is. This is Lecery." Gine introduced her.

Goku gave a big smile. "Hello, my name is Goku."

"I thought it was Kakarot?" Lecery queried, eyebrow raised.

The mother sighed. "It is."

"That's what they called me on earth." he explained. "It's my name."

"Well it's unique, I guess." the round woman criticized.

Goku looked around at the various cuts of meat. Some were raw. Most were. Even more hung on hooks.

"I thought this was like a restaurant." Goku defeatedly said, looming around with a frown.

"It basically is." Gine considered.

He looked at her. "All of this meat is raw."

"You really haven't lived on Vegeta, have you, boy?" Lecery joked. "We can eat raw meat safely. Some even prefer it. Some species are jealous because it's so risky to consume for them."

Gine looked at him. "Oh, and we don't get sick easily. If you aren't feeling well, it's important to speak up. When we do become ill, it's really bad."

"Lost my Totamo to that, I did." she sadly said, absentmindedly chopping meat. "Tuffle plague." Lecery spat, using her anger to fuel her butchering.

Gine assisted. "Actually, I think I'll stay and get some work done. Do you remember the way home?"

The boy wracked his mind for the path. "Uh, yeah."

She was deciding to trust him, and he wouldn't let her down. Goku nodded fiercely.

"Alright. Run along. And take your boots." she warned, handing him the footwear.

Goku turned around and began navigating the crowd. It was a struggle to keep the stack balanced as he was weaving through the people. He really wished he could fly.

As he moved, he noticed something. It was as if he had a sixth sense. Instinctually, he was stretching out his energy to probe at other's. Frankly, it was slightly jarring to him.

Goku wandered through the structures, certain he was going the right way. When the sun was directly overhead, he spied Jinjer. She was directly ahead, and Sargomel was seated at the old woman's feet.

"Hello." he greeted, walking up the paved road.

The girl gestured to the boy. "Ah, grandma, this is Goku. My new teammate."

The old woman shakily creaked. "I know. He's Bardock's son too. We spoke this mornin, didn't we?"

The boy nodded in agreement. "Yep."

"What are you doing here, recruit?" quizzed Sargomel.

Goku pointed to his residence, nearly dropping his cargo. "I live there."

She slapped her forehead with her palm. "Yeah, Bardock lives there. Doy!"

Waving back, he entered his house. It barely crossed his mind that the lights were on. Goku stalked through the hallways, headed for his room.

There was someone inside. Someone tall and hairy. Goku dropped his new armor, likewise dropping into a wide stance.

"Easy there, Kakarot." he warned.

"Why's that?" Goku growled.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm Raditz. Your brother. Your eagerness to fight me is admirable, but unnecessary."

Goku relaxed, standing up straight. "Oh, hello. My name is actually Goku."

"I'm calling you Kakarot." he shot back.

Goku practiced his developing senses. "You're pretty strong." he commented.

The they heard the front door unlocked. "I'm home!" Gine shouted.

"So am I." Raditz barked.

The boy felt happy. He felt a deep sense of belonging that he had never before experienced. Yeah, this definitely wasn't a bad idea.


	3. Chapter 3: True Strength

Immediately after saying goodbye to his son, Bardock was heading for the docks. His son was better than he thought.

Sure, that was a weak saibaman, but to increase his power to kill it? Impressive, to say the least. Bardock actually wished to replicate it somehow.

As he flew, he tried to figure it out. By the time he landed by his comrades, he had nothing. "Are you all briefed?"

"Renait System insurgents" the woman recited. "We meet with the governor and hunt them down."

Panbukin started the sound off. "Verified."

Tora nodded. "Got it."

The balding saiyan pressed a button on his scouter. "Confirmed."

"Good." their leader said, walking toward his pod. "All goes as planned, we'll land at the royal spaceport." He jammed his finger at his best friend. "Don't mess around. And keep the knuckleheads in line, Fasha."

"Sure thing, boss." she agreed, cracking her neck.

They entered their pods, taking off.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Their captain exited before all of them, stretching out. Bardock took a good look at their surroundings. The platform was large. Most likely, it would be able to support several Planetary Trade Organization flagships. He felt a tad silly using this important landing area for their attack balls.

The sky was colored a dark red, similar to his own planet. He couldn't see much plant life, as the planet was basically an entire city. Of course, it wasn't as advanced of a city-planet as Cold Planet One, but it was very automated.

If he recalled correctly, the Renaitians were one of Cooler's main customers. They were a quickly expanding trade empire. Buying planets for colonization and resource draining.

Their military was a joke compared to the others. For show, really. They hadn't actually discovered interstellar travel for themselves. A genocide crew was paid off, leading to a cultural boom. For the Renaitians, at least. Lord Cooler took an interest in their abilities to make money.

And it would seem some of them didn't want to unite. Rebels and insurgent forces of millions waged war for the planet. Bardock thought the whole thing was stupid. The main government here was out colonizing and draining planets dry, and some of the fools didn't want in on it.

Bardock paused his thoughts. A group of six was walking toward them from across the way. His teammates eventually all emerged, taking their places behind him.

The squad walked rather than fly to meet them. Before they spoke, the saiyans appraised their 'customers'.

The two in the middle were more plump than the others. They wore fine red clothes. Each of the saiyans came to the same conclusion: the four on the sides in blue were soldiers.

The green skinned frog person with facial hair spoke up. With a dissatisfied frown he blubbered. "Saiyans? I thought Lord Frieza would be sending his Ginyu Force."

"We're Bardock's Elite." the man declared, rudely ignoring him. "I am Bardock."

Clearly, the lead frog was confused by the dismissal of his dismissal. "Er, I am Prime Minister Podart."

Each of the saiyans began checking numbers on their scouters.

"Whatever." He wasn't known for being nice, he was known for results. "Give me a situational update."

The darker green frog cleared his throat. "Yes, of course." He fumbled around with a holographic projector. A map of the planet appeared. Several red dots appeared on the southern half. "These are the continents with the highest concentration."

Bardock nodded, studying it. "How do you want it handled?"

"What he means is, how important is the land to you?" Fasha clarified.

The fat saiyan nodded. "It costs extra if we have to erase the people and not the land."

The prime minister seemed to seriously consider this. "Well, it's not the land, but what's in the ground we want."

"Raze it all." the darker frog croaked.

Bardock thought this was cruel and unethical to do to one's own people. But it wasn't his money.

Tora nodded, tapping on his scouter. "We'll leave Panbukin and myself here to guard against a counterattack."

"Agreed." Bardock approved. He hovered in the air, flanked by Borgos and Fasha. "Split up."

"Wait a minute!" Borgos shouted. He scowled, looking at the frog people with suspicion. "Weren't we supposed to meet with the governor?"

Bardock turned his cold gaze to the prime minister. He and his lackeys got nervous. "That's right." he pointed at the darker Renaitian. "You're not him either. Where's the governor?"

They all raised their weapons. However, before they could fire Panbukin eliminated the soldiers. "Where is governor Bolforg?" he interrogated, gripping the so called 'prime minister'.

The darker one was terrified. He attempted to scuttle away. Bardock placed a boot on his chest, applying pressure. "Where is the governor?"

"I think there was a coup." Fasha surmised, looking around. "These assholes are rebels, I think."

"Yes, we are rebels!" Podart nodded frantically. "We hired you to help us!"

The scarred warrior sighed. The brothers must have double booked this planet. "No, you hired the Ginyu Force. Governor Bolforg hired us. Sorry, this isn't personal."

Tora went over the report, looking at a map of the planet. "Yeah, actually, no. We landed in rebel territory. This isn't the royal spaceport."

Bardock nodded. His teammates lifted their battle balls, flying high into the clouds. He forcefully threw a ball of energy down. The city went up in flames for miles around. He coughed, inhaling smoke.

He hated having to meet his targets before killing them. It just felt like murder if they couldn't fight back. But he had a family to support. So Bardock hovered, observing the sprawling crater.

"Well, that's one potential target down." Tora remarked, tossing Bardock his pod.

They flew in the right direction, hoping to actually meet with the governor.

But he had to make a call. Bardock pressed a button on his scouter.

"Yes?" Cooler inquired near immediately.

He sighed. It was no fun reporting setbacks to his boss. Cooler was fair, but even he got angry. "The rebels hired your brother for aid. We accidentally landed in their territory."

"My brother is a fool." he breathed. Bardock could tell he was rolling his crimson eyes. "Does he not know that the Trade Confederation is a valuable asset? I swear… Is Frieza there?"

"No sir. The prime minister only mentioned he was waiting for the Ginyu Force." he answered.

"Very well. Engage them if you must. I'm certain you could defeat them if need be. I'll contact my brother." Cooler annoyedly sighed.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Bardock cracked his neck. The mission had gone off without a hitch. The insurgents were dealt with. The aftermath is where the trouble lied.

Fasha handled a scouter carefully. "This isn't PTO."

"Is it tuffle?" Tora inquired over the transmission.

"No." Bardock grumbled. He had seen this before. "It's custom. Crusher Corps."

Panbukin gasped. "Your brother? You sure it's Turles?"

"No." he answered. "I just know that the scouter was made by his Crusher Corps."

Fasha shook her head. "The rebels were being funded by Frieza and supplied by Turles? The hell is going on here?"

"It doesn't matter. We didn't come here to play detective." Borgos joked. "We wiped the planet, so let's go. Let's meet up and eat."

"Roger." Tora said through the scouter.

Borgos acknowledged the suggestion. "On my way."

The captain sat against a rock, hands resting behind his head. He tried not to think of the implications of his brother meddling.

"We get paid by the governor or Cooler?" he queried. The man was quite unsure.

"Cooler. Like always." Fasha recited, rolling her eyes. "That was one time."

"Just checking." Bardock grumbled.

Tora smirked, although they couldn't see it over the scouter. "Got something you want to buy?"

Not in particular, but it had crossed his mind. "I want to buy my boy something. But I can't think of what."

Fasha scoffed, stretching on the ground. "Have you ever met a saiyan that wants things? Just teach him something when we get back!"

"I dunno." the man with a ponytail added. "When I was a kid I really wanted a Godgitech Multicommunicator. Remember those? They still make those? Maybe they have better ones."

Panbukin laughed. "No, those were Tuffle gadgets. Most of their tech survived, but not those. I salvaged one years ago. So fragile it broke in my hand."

The woman sighed, relenting. If they were reminiscing, so would she. "I remember seeing this one doll in a burning city when I was a pup. Wanted it so badly, but then we killed them all. No doll."

Borgos chimed in with his nostalgic item. "This is before all your times." he explained. He was older than all of them, after all. "A scouter. Much rarer back then."

Bardock rolled his eyes. "That wasn't me asking for ideas. I just couldn't think of one."

"Well, what does the tyke like?" Fasha quizzed.

The man shrugged. "Didn't get to talk much. He likes fighting, and I think he might be a softy."

"Well, I think Fasha had the right idea then. Teach him something!" Borgos assured.

He frowned. "I'm a lousy teacher."

"The hell are you on about, Bardock? You figured out how to artificially create Blutz waves!" Panbukin bellowed.

The warrior captain grunted, closing his eyes. Maybe the idea would come to him in a dream.

oXo

* * *

oXo

"And then I went outside to exercise." Goku excitedly recited. "I was breaking rocks, but one of them was a turtle."

Raditz blinked and nodded, feigning interest. The boy's stories were not very interesting to him. He was certain that even if he knew what a turtle was, it would not make it interesting.

Their mother was thoroughly engaged in getting caught up on the missed years. "And then what?"

"Alright!" Raditz interrupted. "Don't you have training starting today?"

Goku jumped up from his seat, crumbs falling off of his white sleeveless jumpsuit that ended above his knees. "Yeah! I have to get going soon!"

He rushed to his room, pulling his chest armor and gauntlets on. In his excitement, he left without saying goodbye. Goku made good time in arriving at the facility.

Swiftly, he made his way through the locker room to the training area. In the room, his comrades were standing at attention opposite a saiyan man with a long face and short hair.

"There you are, 'Goh Koo'. You may be Bardock's son, but that doesn't mean you can just do as you please." the man sneered. "What do you have to say for yourself, soldier?"

"I forgot." the boy admitted with a smile, rubbing the back of his head.

The man raised his eyebrow high. "You're allowed to start late and you forget?"

Most of his comrades stifled giggles.

Goku smiled awkwardly. "Yeees?"

The long faced man sighed in annoyance. "Whatever. Take your place." Goku looked at him expectantly. Another sigh. "On the far end next to Tarble."

"Okay." Goku beamed.

"Alright." Cayle declared when they were in place. "You're all here. Today do your warm-ups and then the energy exercises. Hop to it."

He left swiftly and they relaxed. "I thought we were going to be trained." Goku stated with confusion. This was a training facility after all.

"Not for us." Sargomel explained. "Here its only the elites that get hands on."

"We're only left to independent training." Tarble added, nodding swiftly.

"Well that's okay. I trained by myself for a long time, it's no big deal!" Goku beamed, smirking. "We can get stronger than those elites if we work hard. And as long as we get to fight, what's the big deal?"

Broly shook his head. Niuno spoke up for him. "No we can't. You're too optimistic. It doesn't work that way."

Goku raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" he challenged.

Ruco sputtered. "Well, because… You know! They're stronger! You know!"

"I want to fight them. Especially if they're strong." the eager boy smiled. Optimism rolled off of him in waves.

"We only skirmish with the Echoes. We're more or less evenly matched." the captain explained. "So unless we can somehow raise our power to Yankee levels, we don't even have a shot."

"Well then let's just train hard until we can!" Goku exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious course of action.

"I don't think you understand. They're really strong." Ruco assured.

"So? My dad said I started at a power level of two." Goku revealed. "I was fifty when they picked me up, he said. I don't know much about that, but I do know numbers."

"Really?" Niuno snorted. "That can't be true. You're way stronger than that."

Sargomel nodded. But it wasn't in agreement. "Maybe Goku has a point. If he can make that much progress, why can't we? Let's do this!"

"Yeah, show us how you train." Ruco smiled.

Broly grunted in acknowledgment.

The boy with the sideburns sighed. "Fine, let's go. Let's get strong."

Goku smiled. This would be fun. They'd get to fight tough people if they just worked hard. "Okay, first, we need some rocks."


	4. Chapter 4: Quebec

The saiyan youths observed themselves in the mirror on the far wall. There hadn't been much physical change, but they still looked despite that.

Goku smiled genuinely. Training had gone well for an entire month. It was slightly difficult to get everyone into a routine, but just as soon as a member found their groove, it was smooth sailing.

Sargomel laughed, pressing a button on their team-issued scouter. It was just for checking progress, a simple model with a blue tinted lense. No communication features at all.

"You were right, Goku." Sargomel cheerily admitted. "I'm glad we waited a month. It's very satisfying to see our progress. We've all gained a lot, all things considered!"

"Really?" Ruco beamed, grinning wide. "You were the best thing that happened to us, Goku!"

Niuno blushed, avoiding eye contact with the smaller boy. "Yeah, I was totally wrong about you. I know I say that a lot, but I really mean it."

The prince meekly spoke up. "Say, what's mine?"

Sargomel tutted. "Uh, you only rose about a dozen. Not counting Quash, you made the least amount of progress. Broly, you didn't change at all. It's like your power level is set…"

The tall boy shrugged and grunted. "It's always been like that."

"Tell you what. I'll write it down, and put your numbers in your locker. For now, let's go celebrate." the captain suggested happily.

"I still don't understand power levels." admitted the smallest boy. "You were all shocked when mine kept changing. Using a scouter just doesn't seem useful."

Tarble scoffed, but it wasn't in a rude tone. "You're like the only person who can do that. Unless we have to fight you, I think we'll be fine."

"The trade off is that Goku can't fly to save his life." Ruco giggled, blowing the hair out of her eyes.

"Focus, where are we going to celebrate? I'm not exactly the most… financially gifted right now." the boy with the sideburns queried, stretching his arms over his head.

Their captain shook her head in dismissal. "No worries, it's on me. Let's go get ice cream at the Supersonic's down by the docks."

"I'll pay for my own." Tarble added, leading the migration to the showers. "After all,-"

"Yeah, you're a prince, yadda yadda yadda." Ruco rolled her eyes. "I, for one, will not pass up a free galaxy swirl."

"Neither will I!" Goku exclaimed. "Uh, but my mom says I should repay favors. I owe you one."

"No, I don't think you understand, Goku." Sargomel explained. "The ice cream is my thanks to you, to all of you."

Broly rushed ahead of them, leaving without a word.

"He's always in a rush." Tarble noted. "Has he ever hung out with us?"

"Nah, his dad always wants him home." Goku said.

They exited the building soon after, walking and taking their time to reach the restaurant. Goku was happy living on Vegeta. He still missed those he left behind, but the new people he had met were an excellent substitute.

Still, he wasn't socially gifted, but his friends liked him. The next step was to just actually fight and rise through the ranks.

Goku didn't care about such things, as he was a simple boy. He only wanted to be able to feel the rush of excitement that came in fighting someone new. If he had to help his teammates become stronger in order to do so, then he'd do that.

One day, he vowed he would go back. Vegeta may be his home planet, but Earth was essentially his hometown. And the place you were raised is one not easily forgotten.

However, there was still one thing on his mind. "So why do people like my dad so much?"

"Uhh, he's only the most handsome, strongest saiyan to have ever lived." Ruco gushed, blushing slightly.

"Yes, even before my father's death, he was notorious. Bardock broke the class system. Born a low class warrior, he became even stronger than our king." the prince explained.

"And he's just really strong. It's cool. I strive to be like him." the boy with the sideburns admitted, even if it didn't sound cool. He didn't care, as these were his closest friends.

"When I first met him, his friend shot me in the shoulder." Goku recited. "And then they brought me here, and he's been gone for a month."

Their captain's communicator beeped. They stopped and she held a finger up. Sargomel took the thin rectangle from her armor. "Hello?"

"You've got a skirmish with Q17 in an hour." the gruff voice reported.

Sargomel put the communicator away carefully. "Alright, we need to do our best performance, it's now or never!" she beamed.

Goku smiled wide. "We really get to fight them? Let's go!"

Ruco and Niuno chuckled. "I'm surprised the request went through!" the girl exclaimed.

"Psh." the boy with the sideburns scoffed. "They obviously saw our power levels."

Goku led the charge back to the training facility. Excitement pumped through his small body. He hadn't had a real fight in… well, it was a long time!

The boy pumped his fist. They'd have so much fun, even if they lost.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku looked around in awe at the sprawling arena. The whole space was several dozen times larger than their sparring area, and spectator stands, although empty, lined the walls. It all was very a pristine and sterile ivory white.

Opposite them were six saiyan youths. Unlike the Foxtrot Force, Quebec Force was disorganized. Their armor varied almost as much as their bodies.

The boy recognized them all as Sargomel had described them.

The tanned thin boy with long hair reminiscent of a banana peel, Rogule. He sneered back.

Colldar, the only female on the squad. Her hair was even taller than Prince Tarble's. Her gaze showed one of confidence, but not arrogance.

The only one who came even remotely close to Broly was Letusseh. Despite his height, he carried himself unsurely.

The shortest of the bunch, even more so than Goku, was named Sukallio. His face was small and youthful. He stood close to Gurira, the bald one.

The overweight Leeck put his hands on his hips. "Why are we fighting the Foxtrots again? We're eleven levels higher than them!"

Cayle cleared his throat loudly. "Because their power levels are high enough to challenge you for your spot. Something like this hasn't happened since Bardock was here. Since his son is here, I decided to allow it."

Sukallio whooped, laughing loudly. "I knew that guy looked like Bardock! I call fighting him!"

Colldar shook her head. "It's not up to us."

"That's right." Cayle agreed. "You'll fight in order, only switching out with a defeat. F team's lineup is…" He looked at his chart. Tarble, Broly, Ruco, Niuno, Goku, and Sargomel."

"Dammit!" the boy with the sideburns swore. "Newbie is stronger than me?!"

Cayle the instructor glared at him. "He is now. Q's lineup is Sukallio, Letusseh, Gurira, Leeck, Colldar, and Rogule. Tarble and Sukallio, take your places. Everyone follow me to the sidelines."

Goku watched intently as the boys took their places. Cayle snapped his fingers loudly and they went into action.

Tarble sloppily dodged the swift attacks of the boy. Sukallio's fighting style reminded Goku of the rabbits back on his home.

Eventually, Tarble was overrun. He simply couldn't compete with the boy's speed. Sukallio sent him into the wall with a kick to the face, of which Tarble didn't get up.

Goku was even more ready to fight than ever. He actually wished he was weaker so he could go sooner. "It's okay! We can still win this!"

"We'll see!" the small boy screamed. "Here I come, big guy!"

Broly stepped into the ring. Sukallio made the mistake of charging at the boy. The one occasionally called Quash threw his fist out, connecting hard with his face.

The short boy fell to the ground, face a bloody mess. Broly sneered in pleasure.

Letusseh gulped, entering the fighting area. He truthfully was unnerved at Broly's ruthlessness. Everyone was.

"Squash him, Quash!" Niuno shouted, smiling joyfully at the carnage.

Goku just wished the fights would last longer from now on.

And they weren't. Broly eliminated everyone with a single hit. Goku was growing restless. Rogule, having lost his confidence, entered the ring with a neutral face.

He snapped his fingers, and a blast exploded on Quash's face. Using the advantage, he chopped Broly in the tail, and then the neck. The mighty giant fell, and Rogule's sneer returned.

"Ha!" he laughed. "That wasn't so bad! Next guy, come on in! If you dare, that is!"

And all of the Foxtrots until Goku were defeated by the same snapping tactic. Goku was even more eager than ever to begin. But they had to wait briefly so his comrades could be carted away for burn treatments.

He hopped into the arena opposite the tanned boy and dropped wordlessly into a stance. "Don't you want to actually fight instead of using that trick?"

Goku's answer was in the form of the snapping trick. Luckily, he had predicted this and used the smoke as a cover. He threw a ball of energy at the boy, backflipping to where he had been.

Rogule threw a punch. Goku caught it, flinging him into the ceiling.

The tanned boy threw energy onto the floor, forcing Goku up. Naturally, he jumped up, only to get clobbered into the hard floor.

Goku rolled in order to avoid a punch that cracked the floor. He spun, kicking Rogule's feet away from him. So they both ended on the hard floor.

Rogule was on top of him, trying to jam his fist into Goku's face. The boy grabbed his arm with both hands.

It seemed as if the tanned boy really wanted to hurt him. He wondered why. His teammates assumed it was due to his status. Whether or not he knew it, Goku was a celebrity child. His father was the strongest saiyan.

The smaller boy redirected his fist, and it struck the white floor. Goku slugged him in the face, dashing away to a respectable distance. "You're a little better than your comrades, I'll give you that. How can the son of Bardock be so weak is beyond me."

Goku was undeterred by the trash talk. He just didn't care, nor did he have the necessary background knowledge to be offended. The boy cupped his hands. "Kame… hame…"

"What's that?" Rogule asked, thoroughly confused.

"Ha!" Goku shouted, letting the blue blast loose. It slammed into the tanned boy, knocking him into the wall headfirst.

It seemed to be a victory for Foxtrot.

"Q17!" Cayle barked.

The girl looked up, raising the ice pack off of her eye. "What?"

"No." the man chuckled. "The new Q17."

Letusseh groaned. "My dad's gonna kill me…"

Goku cheered. "We won!" He went over to the defeated boy, offering a hand. "That was a good match, Roogoole."

"It's Rogule!" he hissed, pulling himself up. "We'll get you back, Goku."

And the Quebec Force left in shame. Goku didn't understand their negativity. They were all good fights, he thought.

"Good job, really, Goku!" Sargomel praised, slapping his back. "I didn't even have to fight!"

Goku rubbed the back of his head. "Gee, sorry. If I knew you wanted to fight, I'd have given up."

The girl chuckled, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Don't worry about it! We just jumped more than ten levels!"

"Are we still gonna be the Foxtrot Force?" he queried, raising an eyebrow.

"We may not be F6, but we're still the Foxtrot Force at heart." Sargomel assured. "Now let's go get the others and get that ice cream from earlier!"

So they cheerily walked to the medbay, seeing their comrades.

"Hey…" Ruco sadly droned, waving. "Did we lose?"

All of their faces were a soft pink, most likely due to the their newly grown skin.

Goku smiled, pointing to his unscarred face. It was enough for them to piece it together.

"Oh, wow!" Tarble beamed. "Er- I mean, I knew we could do it!"

"How did you pull that off?" the boy with the sideburns queries, raising a burnt eyebrow. "That Rogule was a tough guy…"

Goku nodded, eager to explain. "I saw that you all lost when he snapped his fingers, so I just dodged."

"Oh." Niuno embarrassedly said.

Broly laughed heartily, accurately encapturing all of their collective elation.

Ruco blushed, smiling despite her aching face. "Thank you, Goku."

Goku smiled back.

He really was glad he came here. The planet was filled with people like him… Goku didn't know what they were training for, but he didn't care. The saiyans were his people, and he took satisfaction in that.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Bardock stirred in his pod. They woke up from hibernation regularly to refuel and stretch, and it would seem it was time. He yawned, checking his messages.

Only one was personal, and it was from his mate.

It just described some alien groceries, asking if he could pick them up for her. It ended with a gushing love letter that hurt him to read. But he did it anyway. For she was the only one he let his guard down around. Bardock loved Gine.

With a thunk, he felt his pod dock. Bardock carefully climbed out, observing the bustling spaceport. He had only been here a couple times prior, and it was just as packed.

There were three other squads docked around the platform. He turned to see his comrades stretching, and diminutive aliens refueling their ships.

A thought came to him, so he climbed back into the cramped craft. Swiftly, he typed a message to Gine about getting his son to the doctor for a diagnostic. A checkup, if you will.

Bardock wondered how things were going back on Vegeta. Speaking of which, the eldest prince would be a man soon…

He wouldn't interfere. Bardock had no interest in petty politics.

He only hoped for Prince Vegeta's safety. Hopefully he wouldn't end up as his idiotic father had...


	5. Chapter 5: The Doctor's

The brothers walked along the dusty path. Raditz begrudgingly followed his brother's pace. Goku couldn't fly very well, and he certainly wasn't going to carry him.

"What's the doctor's like?" the boy innocently quizzed.

The older brother sighed, rolling his eyes. "It's the damn doctor's. You'll see, Kakarot."

"That's not my name." Goku reminded.

"Yes it is. So I'll call you Kakarot." said Raditz with hostility.

The boy cheerily shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy."

Raditz casually lowered his pace, until he was able to meticulously regard the boy. He frowned at the back of his head. His brother was displeasing to me.

The obvious problem, was that he was cheery. Not a saiyan personality trait, typically. His mother, Gine, was gentle. However, she didn't go flaunting it.

Something had definitely happened to him. From what he heard, Goku didn't get infant education. Not his fault. His demeanor and lack of knowledge were most likely due in part to a battle ball malfunction.

"That's it." Raditz pointed. Goku nodded, and they approached it.

Like almost every other building that wasn't a dwelling, it was a sterile light grey. The front was covered in reflective windows.

Goku seemed to mature himself as they entered. The room smelled like the color white, if that was even possible.

Raditz led his brother to the front desk. A plump violet-skinned alien woman looked up at them. "Need an appointment or checking in?"

"Checkup for Kakarot."

"...Which Kakarot?" she queried boredly.

"Of house Bardock, wench." the tall saiyan spat.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry! Go on through that door! Room four."

"Thank you." Goku replied as they walked through the door. "Why are people so afraid of dad?"

His tall brother sighed. "Everyone is afraid of him. With King Vegeta dead, a lot of people think he'll take the throne. But father has no interest in that. Prince Vegeta will be eighteen soon, and then he'll ascend to the throne. I'm on his squad."

"I'm on Prince Tarble's squad." Goku said, looking around at the numbers on the walls.

Raditz snorted, scanning for the correct room. He pointed. "In there."

Goku opened the door, and they entered the exam room. It sprawled, various machines were around the area. In the center was a large construction with a circular opening in the middle.

A saiyan woman with long hair stood up from the computer in the corner. "Hello, I'm doctor Zukee. Goku, is it?"

The boy nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"So it looks like… vaccinations and full body scan?" she recited, looking up from her metal clipboard.

Raditz nodded in confirmation. "That sound right."

Zukee went to the counter, taking a bulky syringe from the highest drawer.

Goku blanched, hiding behind his brother's massive leg. Raditz regarded him with an unsure curiosity.

"What, are you afraid?" she taunted jokingly.

"Don't come near me with that thing!" Goku shouted, peeking from the shin.

Raditz had enough, and leaned down. He grasped his brother's bare arms, keeping him in place.

Goku struggled futilely as she approached him. When the sterile needle made contact with his skin, his body hair raised on end and he paled. Consciousness left him as his head slumped forward.

"I guess that makes the scanner part easier." Raditz deadpanned.

Zukee chuckled, tossing the unconscious boy into the machine. She went back to her computer, starting it up.

The scan first started with his feet, working his way up. "Looks like evidence of a leg break at some point." The Doctor continued to the organs. "Internals all look healthy for a boy at his developmental stage, Save for his heart, that is."

"What's wrong?" he queried with little concern.

"I misspoke. Nothing is wrong with the heart's functions. The tissue color tells me Goku is just susceptible to heart disease. It's important to keep him vaccinated." Zukee warned.

"I'll tell our parents." Raditz droned. What a troublesome boy.

"Woah." Zukee breathed as the scan moved to the head.

Raditz raised an eyebrow in concern. "What's wrong?" It was unprofessional to react like such, so it must be serious.

"His skull is fractured, and there's minor damage to the brain." she explained, pointing to the display. "We can fix the physical damage to the skull here. Brain damage is not something that I, personally, can fix."

"Ah." the older boy sighed. "We thought it was a pod malfunction. Is it possible he has memory loss? He acts like a fool."

"It looks like he took a serious blow to the head. It's probable he lost something. I noticed his demeanor as well. Goku is just behind his peers, I would guess." Zukee explained, pointing at the crack on her screen.

"So he isn't an imbecile?" Raditz questioned, tilting his head.

The doctor rolled her eyes. "If he is stupid, it's not because of this injury. He just forgot his programming is my guess."

Goku began to stir. "What's going on?"

"We just found out you broke your skull." his brother bluntly stated.

"Can it be fixed?" Goku asked. Zukee stealthily pricked him in the back of the head with a syringe of a clear fluid. "Ow, what was that?"

"Just taking hair for a… sample." she lied.

Raditz pursed his lips. "Can he be reprogrammed?"

"His mind isn't as moldable as an infant. You'll just have to suck it up, his attitude I mean." Zukee declared.

Goku smiled. "Alright. What's next?"

His brother noticed an immediate change in the way he carried himself. "What was in that?"

"It's what we doctors like to call 'bone juice'." the doctor smirked before becoming serious. "Repaired the skull fracture. It relieved a lot of pressure off his brain. He isn't a mathematician, but he won't be eating rocks either."

Goku sat patiently. "What's next?" he grinned.

The doctor sighed, observing her chart. "Just some questions. Cough or congestion?"

The boy shook his head.

"Aches? Having trouble sleeping?"

Goku remained silent.

"Burning sensation anywhere, including your tail?"

"Nope."

"Alright, you're good to go." Zukee assured, tail waving behind her. "Let's hope we don't have to see each other soon."

Goku nodded, leading his brother out of the building.

Raditz had a lot to think about, and a lot to relay to his parent. Brain damage? It certainly explained a lot. He just hoped his brother would be okay.

His scouter beeped. "Ah, Kakarot, I have to go."

"Aww." Goku whined. "See you, Raditz." He waved as his brother took off.

So he was left alone. Life on Vegeta wasn't so bad!

Goku cheerily walked down the red road. He was drawn to his mother, but he didn't understand why or how. The boy just knew where people were, and he knew where his friends were located.

So the boy approached the meat distribution center. Quickly, he decided against it. His mother was working. So he should find something else to do.

He headed to the center where two of his friends were training.

When he entered the area, he discovered that Ruco and Tarble were in the middle of a spar. The prince looked to be struggling, but obviously trying.

The girl punched her opponent away, waving at the newest addition to their squad. "Hey!"

Tarble looked up from the floor. "Hey, Goku." he greeted, despite his bruised body.

The boy put his fists on his hips. "What's up, guys? Just fighting?"

"Yeah." the prince nodded, picking himself up. "Training, like you said."

Broly barreled into the room, ducking to compensate for his height. He had certainly hit his growth spurt early. "Hn." he grunted, nodding.

"Hey, Quash, aren't you glad Kakarot joined us?" Ruco beamed innocently.

The mirror on the far wall broke into small pieces, as did the scouter they used for checking progress in the corner. Tarble was shocked, as he was thrown against the polished glass earlier, and it all of a sudden shattered.

Goku and Ruco flinched and ducked to avoid the shrapnel. "What happened?" the new boy queried.

Broly took deep breaths, his chest contracting and expanding shakily. "Kakarot?"

The boy looked up. "You mean me?"

The large boy charged forward, gripping the girl by the neck. She desperately clawed at his hands as Tarble and Goku sprung into action.

Broly squeezed harder, causing the girl's face to become reddened. Their attempts to free her became more and more ineffective.

"Stop it, Quash!" Tarble screamed, kicking his leg.

Goku channeled his energy, punching the larger boy in the side so hard his armor shattered. As well as his hand and gauntlet.

Tarble was backhanded away, and Goku clutched his very broken hand.

Ruco gave one last wheeze before her eyes fluttered shut. Broly laughed maniacally. "Kakarot…"

But then the gemstones embedded into Broly's jewelry glowed a bright blue. He dropped the girl to the floor. Ruco inhaled frantically, backing away.

Goku hardened his gaze, looking at the docile once more boy. He treated his hand gingerly as he went to the girl's side.

The offender just stood and stared with dead eyes.

"Ruco! Goku!" Tarble exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

Goku looked at his mangled hand. The violet splotches on his digits matched the marks on her neck. "Ruco."

Tears welled in her eyes. She reached carefully for her neck, massaging it. "Get away!" she screamed at Broly, damaging her throat further.

So the tall boy left without a word.

"We have to get you guys to the medbay." Tarble suggested.

Goku made a mistake in trying to flex his hand. "Ahh!" he hissed, carefully holding it. "What was that?"

"I… I just said your name!" Ruco weeped hoarsely. "And then he started saying it!" She leaned onto Goku's chest. Clearly, she was too shaken up to even consider how improper it was.

Tarble stood up, helping the girl up as well. He pointed with his free hand. "Through that door, medcenter."

Goku kicked it down rather than use his hand, he discovered that the hallway on the other side was in fact, not a replica of the other one. He couldn't read what the doors said, but he did understand the red plus sign.

It opened before he could kick it, and he fell down on his hand. "Agh!" Goku seethed.

The old saiyan woman looked up from his lunch. "What did you do to your hand?"

Goku stood up, pointing to the duo behind him. "Our teammate went nuts."

"Way too far." the prince added.

The doctor sighed when she saw the purple injuries. "I know we saiyans are all about fighting, but this is too far…" she chided.

The boy with the broken hand offered it to him. "Can you fix us?"

The woman smirked unsurety. "Kolto heals breaks and wounds, boy."

"So?" he asked. "Oh."

The doctor snapped two of his fingers back into place without warning. "Yup. Doesn't fix dislocations." Goku clenched his teeth. "This will hurt less and less as I go on."

"YEOWCH!" he yelped as the rest were snapped back. The doctor put his hand into a tub of light blue fluid. "Ahhh…" he sighed as the cool soothing replaced the warm burning.

"I'm sorry that happened, Goku." Ruco hoarsely apologized.

Tarble looked at her with confusion. "How is this your fault?"

"He did it to save me…" she blushed.

The doctor tutted. "Save your voice, girl. From the locks of your neck, you're bleeding internally. Hop in the healing chamber."

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, beginning to peeling off her armor. She rushed to the tank, removing her clothes and putting on the mask. The old woman helped her in and started the healing process.

They were left with only the steady hum of the pod.

Goku looked to Tarble. "What… was that? I was pretty scared for a minute."

The prince shook his head, looking down. "I don't know. I always kind of figured him as weird, but to just attack us?"

The old woman turned around, eyebrow raised. "You weren't sparring?"

"No." the boy said, flexing his healing hand. "He just attacked us! Broke a bunch of stuff too."

"That sort of behaviour isn't allowed here." she roughly spat. "You're here to train, not beat on those weaker than you. No honor in it either. Who did this?"

"Broly. Of house Paragus." Tarble revealed, sitting on a white bench.

The doctor scoffed. "Quit playing around, boy. It's improper for a prince."

Goku narrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"You hurt yourselves and you're blaming it on another. That's dishonorable." she chided, shaking her head.

"What are you talking about? Broly attacked us." the prince assured.

"This Broly you speak of died almost a decade ago. Impressive power level, too." the doctor commended. "Tell the truth next time."

The boy with the hand injury was offended. "You think we're lying?"

Tarble remained cool. He thought of something. "It shows he's dead in the system, right? Then how can he be in the system?"

He was. Assigned to the 'F6' group originally. "Ah, so he is. Must be an error. I deeply apologize, my prince."

Goku shook his head. "I just don't know why my name made him angry…"

"He will be dealt with accordingly."

It didn't make sense. Ruco only said Kakarot, and he lost control. Until his jewelry glowed, that is.

He looked to the tank. The girl's neck already looked much better. Goku didn't know what to think about Broly anymore. From what he could tell, that wasn't normal behavior.

He sighed, regarding his hand. Most definitely not normal.

Sargomel and Niuno entered the medbay a short time later, panting. "What happened?" their captain questioned.

"Broly just went nuts and attacked us." the prince sighed, tired of telling the story. The boy was just glad it was over.

"I knew that bastard was trouble." Niuno scowled with accusation.

"No you didn't." Sargomel scolded. "This is more important than your pride. What happened? Give me a play by play."

"Ruco," he pointed to the girl in the tank. "said 'Kakarot' and all the glass broke."

"Broly kept saying 'Kakarot', and then he grabbed Ruco by the neck and held her until she almost passed out." Tarble revealed.

"I broke my hand by hitting him." Goku said, flexing his repaired hand. "And then his jewelry started glowing."

"Broly just left, and we came here." Tarble steeled his eyes on their captain.

Captain Sargomel frowned, placing a hand on her elbow. "I'm just glad you're all okay."

Niuno's cheeks pinkened. "Yeah, you guys mean alot to me."

Goku stood up, dusting his hands. "Yeah; you're my friends now. I'm glad we are."

The captain smirked. "Let's not let this set us too back. Training tomorrow starts at the ass crack of dawn! I'll get the Broly thing figured out, so don't you all worry."

Goku's smile disappeared. He didn't like how the tall boy had beaten them around, and they were powerless against him.

Never had he really fought someone he couldn't beat. He loved fighting, but he didn't particularly enjoy how close his friend had been to death. If that thing with the crystals hadn't happened…

Goku stood up, looking out the window. No, this wouldn't change much. The Foxtrot Force would rise up further.


	6. Chapter 6: Formalities

Goku yawned, stretching under the blankets. They were much more comfortable than anything he had on earth.

"Goku!" Gine shouted, approaching his door.

The boy sat up, just as she entered the spartan room. She was dressed in a pine green version of her dress-armor. It also had wide shoulder pads. On the right breast was an insignia foreign to him.

"Oh, right! Today's the coronation." Goku recalled. Gine nodded, and he went to his closet. The boy grabbed the green version of his armor with the same symbol on it and pulled it over his head.

"Here's your cloak…" Gine fussed, attaching the flowing crimson cloth to his shoulder pads. "You should've been up an hour ago!"

"I'm sorry." he apologized. "I was just so tired from training."

Today, they were to go to Prince Vegeta's coronation and attend the feast following. He didn't understand it, but he was in an important house. Bardock had a high standing in the saiyan race.

They were not royalty, but Bardock's power granted them much freedom and status.

Of course, he didn't care, nor did his son. But Gine insisted they go and support their future king. As a result, the entire family was dressed in their formal armor.

Raditz's wide frame filled the doorway. "Has he gotten dressed yet?"

"Yup!" Goku beamed, dusting himself off. Gine lightly slapped his back, urging him out of the room.

Bardock sat at their dining room table, face clearly showing displeasure. He certainly would rather be out fighting, but all saiyans were called back to Vegeta regardless of whether or not they would be attending the crown ceremony. "Ready to go finally?"

Gine pecked his cheek, re-fastening his cloak. "Yes, now let's get going."

Goku brushed a loose piece of hair out of his face. They exited their domicile, capes billowing behind them.

Bardock led them into the skies, toward the cliff top spire that was the royal palace. Even as Goku shakily trailed his family, he could see the masses filtering to the palace.

But, his father did not lead them to the gathering of people. Rather, they landed on a balcony with tough yet regal looking guards.

A bald saiyan with a goatee sneered, white cloak fluttering in the draft. "Bardock. I see you made it."

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't miss it for the universe."

"Show some respect!" Nappa threatened, narrowing his eyes.

"Who's going to stop me? You? Little Vegeta?" the scarred warrior challenged, raising an eyebrow. General Nappa and the soldiers held their tongues, so he continued with his family. "That's what I thought."

Goku looked around in awe of the palace. Lush blue carpet lined the floor. Various pieces of artwork decorated the spacious walls.

"Be civil." Gine sharply advised her mate. "All of you."

Raditz merely grumbled before steeling himself. The young man was a part of Vegeta's squad, and he was used to being around him. He only worried for his family.

Bardock was… well, he was Bardock. And his defective little brother? Raditz could only wish for the day's end to come sooner.

The small boy looked around with wide eyes as he took in the sight of the people once the massive doors parted.

Saiyan families donning different colors littered the tall throne room. A diminutive man with a brighter red cape than theirs sat at in the stone seat, boredly listening to people next to him.

Most likely preparing him for the coronation to come. His eyes almost immediately locked with Goku's. He stood up, ignoring his advisors and making a beeline toward house Bardock.

Raditz dropped into a showy bow, dipping down. "My prince."

"You are Kakarot, aren't you?" Vegeta queried, taking in the unthreatening looking boy.

He nodded, smiling. "I go by Goku."

"That's a ridiculous name." he frowned, showing his disgust.

"It's my name." he assured. Bardock scoffed, folding his arms.

Vegeta regarded the boy with his cold eyes once more. "You are on my weakling brother's squad, are you not?"

"That's right." he nodded. "But Tarble is really strong."

"No, he's not." Vegeta scoffed. "I read a report that you lead your team to advance eleven levels in a month. Is that true?"

Goku nodded, smiling. "Yep. But the others really helped."

"Your career will be one to watch with great interest, Kakarot." the prince ominously said, smirking. "Especially considering your growth. One hundred fifty to nearly three hundred? Unheard of."

The prince marched away, leaving a very content Goku. He smiled. "That Vegeta guy is pretty nice."

Bardock snorted, and Gine blushed. "His name is Prince Vegeta. Soon he'll be king. Try to show proper respect."

"Don't be so old-fashioned, mother." the tall teenager chuckled.

"He's your captain." Bardock coldly pointed out. "Let your mother be old-fashioned, and at least allow his royal highness that sliver of respect."

"Is there gonna be any fighting at this?" the boy beamed.

"Nope." his father said in a bored tone. "Just watching the prince become King."

"I'm surprised they're crowning him without a Queen." the petite woman commented. "His father waited in declaring himself King until he found a mate. Thought maybe Junior would do the same."

Raditz scoffed again. "He doesn't have time for it what with missions. Besides, he's eighteen. Plenty of time to worry about an heir."

"Who's your heir, dad?" Goku innocently questioned.

Bardock stared at his son incredulously. "I'm not a king. I have nothing to leave you. In fact, when I die, just throw me out into the trash."

Gine slugged him in the shoulder. "Nope. We're burying you, trash man."

"Fine, a star, then." he joked. Goku felt a warm sense of belonging when his parents joked around with each other. Regardless, he was happy to have found a place to belong. Certainly, if he stayed on earth he would have remained an outcast.

Eventually, his mother and brother moved away. Raditz went to Vegeta's side, joining the entourage of younger saiyans he assumed was part of their squad. Gine mingled with other saiyans that she knew, leaving Goku near his stoic father.

The man smirked, looking down at his carbon copy of a son. "I'm glad someone else finds this as insufferable as I do."

He took this as a signal to relax a little. "Yeah! No fighting, and we have to wait for food? I'm already bored and we just got here."

"That's right, you didn't eat, did you?" Bardock winked, pulling something from behind his gauntlet.

Goku recognized it as a ration bar. The boy graciously accepted it, munching on it. "Thanks, dad."

The man nodded, resuming his stoic act. He was surprised, as no one had directly approached him for any reason. Normally, all sorts of suck ups would scuttle out of the wood works and 'try to get into his good favor'.

Just as soon as he thought that, a tall man with olive skin and minimal hair approached him. Bardock rolled his eyes, he had no idea why people were enamored with him at events such as this. He had no standing, just power.

But then he felt a tad embarrassed when he incorrectly guessed the man was coming to talk to him.

He looked to his short son. Maybe they could make this fun, somehow. He wasn't easily bored, but he could tell this would drag on. So he decided to make small talk. "Hey, Goku."

Said child glanced up expectantly. "Yeah?"

"You ever heard of a moon ball?" Bardock quizzed, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope. What's that?" Some sort of toy? Goku could only guess. "My grandpa told me to never go outside at night and look at the moon, though."

The father tilted his head expectantly. "Oh. Why is that?" He had an idea, but decided to dig closer.

"He said that a monster comes out during the full moon." Goku revealed, face becoming unsure.

"Do you know why?" He was guessing that due to the great ape's existence being common knowledge to his people, no one had brought it up to his son. "That monster is you. When we saiyans are exposed to enough blutz waves, we transform into a great ape." Bardock smirked.

Goku's whole demeanor changed. His youthful face took on a conflicted expression. "What?" he breathed. "I'm the monster?"

"Hey, what's wrong?" the father asked, staring at his son with confusion. How could this be bad news?

"The monster killed my grandpa…" Goku revealed, tears forming in his eyes. "I-I killed him?"

Bardock bit his lip. He had no idea how to approach this situation. His intentions were to explain a cool trick to his son, not make him depressed.

It was not as if he was unsympathetic, he just wished Gine were here. When Bardock's father died, he was sad too, but not in the middle of the palace at a formal reception.

"Uh, it was probably some other monster." Bardock lied, looking around. Goku wasn't loud, so no one had taken notice yet. But then he sighed, he couldn't lie to someone close to him. The man grabbed his son, flying through the window.

Bardock took his son, who was on the verge of tears, to the roof. There he sat, awkwardly staring at Goku.

"It was me." Goku shakily surmised, wiping tears from his eyes.

The man shrugged, trying to tread lightly. "Probably." Goku sank down, tears flowing freely. "Hey, don't cry. Or do, whatever makes you feel better. But, let me ask you something. Did you have a good time with your grandpa?"

"Yes." he sniffled. "But I killed him. What if he's mad at me?"

"I'm sure he knew it was an accident." Bardock assured. "How would you feel about learning to control that form?"

"You can do that?" Goku queried, wiping tears from his reddened eyes.

"It's like learning to control your dreams. In fact, I recommend you learn to do so first. The first steps you can take are to regularly ask yourself if you're dreaming. If you do that enough, you'll ask yourself that in your dreams."

"Then what?" he innocently asked.

Bardock sighed. "Then it takes a lot of practice and training. But it will be easier if you can lucidly dream."

Goku smiled, sniffling. "Even if I just learn how to dream like that, it'll be worth it. That sounds really cool anyway."

"There we go. No more tears. It's only acceptable for a man to cry when someone dies, remember that. Or if you cut your foot off, but even then it's a little iffy." he joked, standing up.

Goku followed suit, standing up and chuckling. It deeply disturbed him that he killed his grandfather. The boy certainly didn't wish to have known this. In return, he got to learn something interesting about himself, at least.

"So, that moon ball?" he meekly asked.

Bardock made a noise of acknowledgment. "Like I said, blutz waves and a tail are what allow us to transform. I invented a technique to make an artificial full moon. It's very complicated, but I just wanted to tell you I'll teach you when you're older."

Goku nodded. He didn't want that time to come soon. It sort of hurt to think about. The boy looked down to see hundreds of saiyans gathering in the square at the foot of the castle spire. His sensitive ears picked up the steady hum of the talking crowd.

The father regarded his son. He didn't know Kakarot was so soft… Then again, after what his son reported to him, it made sense. His programming was forgotten. He was unlike any saiyan, including his mother.

But then again, if he had killed the person responsible for his upbringing, he supposed he would be torn up as well.

His thoughts were cut short. The loud boom of brass instruments filled the air, rattling even the brickwork of the spire. Bardock took to the sky.

Goku unsurely followed, and they landed on a balcony with Gine and Raditz. On the platform were three to five other families. To their left and right were balconies with even more saiyans.

But in the center of all of the terraces was a larger one. On it stood Princes Vegeta and Tarble with an ancient saiyan in long red robes. Silence came over the masses.

Even Goku got the impression he should stay silent and reverent. That is, until the old holy man began speaking. The boy didn't understand the language he was speaking.

It was a throaty language that Goku didn't think anyone on earth could replicate. His words were drawn out and clear, despite the language barrier.

Goku was still tired, and he felt his eyes close. Only for a minute.

oXo

* * *

oXo

He shot awake when sound assaulted him from all directions. People cheering was all he could hear, all he could think. Goku looked up, and Prince- no, King Vegeta, stood triumphantly with his arms raised.

Bardock felt somber. He didn't cheer. He folded his arms, frowning. Vegeta was now a king. King of the saiyans, but not Bardock.

Monarchies were recipes for disaster in his opinion. Granted, the crown was merely symbolic and they were governed by an elected council, but still.

Vegeta was Frieza's pet. Cooler had stepped in and defended their race as a valuable asset. Most people didn't even know. If he hadn't become as strong as he had, their race would've been doomed.

The only price was Vegeta being in Frieza's service. Bardock certainly didn't mind. His livelihood or another person? He would always choose his family over another.

Goku watched tiredly as Vegeta turned around. The excitement died down, but was then brought back many times fiercer.

He covered his ears, following his family inside.

"How long was I asleep?" the boy whispered to his mother.

Bardock snorted, but his mate wasn't as enthused. Gine glared at him disapprovingly. "You fell asleep?"

"I noticed it almost immediately." Raditz chuckled. "It's been several hours."

"Geez." Goku breathed. "I couldn't understand him, and I just fell asleep."

"It's the traditional saiyan language. Egetabal." the father explained, weaving through the crowd. "They don't teach it to pups anymore. Common is much more useful."

"Common?" the boy queried for clarification.

His older brother scoffed. Didn't he realize he was speaking it? "This."

Bardock had to admit he was a tad confused his son knew the most commonly spoken language in the known universe. And the earthlings, if he recalled correctly. Eh, things like that weren't relevant.

Dinner was. They entered the vast dining room, taking their seats at their circular table near the edge. Goku admired how large the crude looking chandeliers were. He still wasn't used to extravagant decorations.

Well, everything above the one room hovel he occupied on Mount Paozu was fancy to him. However, even this large palace was amazing to him.

Gine smiled, squeezing her son's hand lightly. "This is a lot of fun."

Her mate rolled his eyes. He may have loved her, but he couldn't agree. "Really? Could have fooled me."

Gine smirked at him, playfully slugging his arm. "Come on. They're serving Magolon. Your favorite."

"I can smell it." Raditz noted, nostrils flaring.

The young boy smiled. "I was wondering what that smell is. What's Magolon?"

His father leaned back, pleasantly smiling. The food had brought on his enthusiasm. "Only the best stuff in the entire universe."

Gine looked at her youngest son. "I can explain how it's made, but I don't know if you'll understand. Essentially it's a special meatloaf with seven types of meat."

Now Goku was very excited. He loved food, especially new food. The scent of this particular one was incredibly enticing. It hadn't occurred to him that a new planet would have new food. For meals they had only eaten the meager ration bars, and dishes he recognized from earth.

One thing he had noticed was that meat was a staple of saiyan diets.

Clanging rang out through the packed dining room. Goku looked to see a saiyan with a glass standing. He took a bow, and everyone around them stood. "All hail King Vegeta!" he loudly cried.

Only Raditz and Gine stood up to cheer. Bardock didn't care very much, and Goku was simply unaware.

The newly crowned monarch stood once more, smirking. "Feast, my people!"

Cheers broke out again as the side doors opened. Countless people dressed in white emerged with large platters, distributing the feast among the guests.

Goku smiled at the steaming meal before them. The boy tore at the food savagely, embarrassing his mother. He loved being a saiyan.

oXo

* * *

oXo

When Goku had finally eaten his fill, he leaned back in his seat, satisfied. He sighed.

"Your appetite is unusually large, even for a saiyan." Gine noted.

Bardock nodded, mouth full of meat. "Strange."

"Try to show at least some class." Raditz scoffed. He didn't understand why everyone else cared so little about their image. At least his mother was sensible.

Goku looked down at the table. "Vegeta sure is very different from earth." he sighed. Nostalgia tore at him.

The father narrowed his cold eyes at his son. Still acting very sentimental? "Are you still sad? It's better here than whatever mud hole you lived in on that planet."

"It's the people I miss." he clarified. "I never ever considered that I was an alien. Or that I even had parents. I just had my grandpa Gohan…"

Gine rubbed his back tenderly. "At least you have your memories."

Raditz choked on his drink. He had forgotten to report what the doctor had notified him of. Little did he know that Goku had attempted to inform Bardock. "Err… about that. I forgot to tell you. I took Kakarot to the doctor, and it slipped my mind to tell you about it."

The mother's face became concerned. "What? Is something wrong?"

"I got him vaccinated. And, well, he's susceptible to heart disease." the man revealed.

"Just like my mother…" Gine remarked. "She's fine."

"That's not all. He-"

"I had a skull fracture." Goku interrupted.

Raditz looked at him incredulously. Then he glanced at his concerned mother. "My theory is that's why he forgot his programming."

Goku assumed they meant whatever the pod told him was forgotten. And it was a correct assumption. He may not have been the most knowledgeable, but he understood that for some reason he was sent to earth.

His spaceship was supposed to teach him things, and he didn't think far enough to ask why. The boy just wanted to fight.

"Wouldn't be the first time something like that happened." Bardock said, using his arms as pillows, leaning back. "First wave of infiltration babies had that same problem."

"Infiltration babies?" Goku queried, raising an eyebrow.

"They send babies to clear out weaker planets." Gine explained before she could think.

Bardock winced, seeing the confusion and betrayal on his son's face.

The boy looked to his mother. "I was sent to earth to… clear it? You mean to kill everyone?"

"Yes." Bardock sighed. "But we don't do that anymore. Mostly, we fight for lord Cooler and fight against those who would oppose him."

This seemed to cool Goku's jets. However, he still felt disturbed. He was a firm believer in second chances, and if they had changed, he would try to tell himself that was good enough.

"But-"

"Kakarot." his father emphasized. "I don't know if you've noticed, but you're a rarity among saiyans. You're strong, but you have a soft heart. Like your mother, you need to keep it to us. I personally don't care. I'll support my spawn through whatever. But, other people do. For some reason, they won't let people be. You should keep your thoughts to yourself, and make a change. By yourself."

Gine sadly nodded. "I understand if you are upset, but others won't. It won't do any good if you go nuts. If it really bothers you, change it."

Goku nodded, understanding his position. He felt internally conflicted. His people had a dark secret. However, was it a deal breaker? The boy didn't know yet.

Time would tell.


	7. Chapter 7: Stumble

**BUTCHER ARC PART I**

No one on Foxtrot Force saw Broly for two whole years. Goku was now fifteen, and occasionally he would reflect on the boy they hadn't seen hide nor hair of. The mystery of his outburst still lingered.

He thought of the planet earth. Would the world tournament be now or in a year? He couldn't remember. Inwardly, he regretted leaving before his first tournament. However, he could still go on. Fighting for sport was more common than ever.

Most of the galaxy had been colonized, whatever that meant. Goku only understood that they sent people away to fight. Cooler had declared that as long as the saiyans remained loyal in times of need, they would remain paid.

Goku and his team had long advanced to the top of their class, and he grew bored without the challenge. He heard a ringing, so he rolled over on his bed.

The teenager grasped the scouter, fitting it to his ear. He pressed the red button on the side. "Hello? This is Goku."

"It's Niuno." the confident voice announced.

"What's going on?" he cheered, sitting up.

The boy with the sideburns smirked on the other end. "Remember Quash?"

"How could I not?" the teenager breathed, flexing his hand.

"I was just out with Tarble. We heard someone mention how his dad lived in this abandoned apartment complex. Wanna come check it out?" Niuno excitedly offered. "Even if there are no answers, it'll be cool. It's really creepy here."

Goku stood up, putting his gauntlets on. "I'm on my way."

"Grab Ruco on the way over, by the way. Can't reach her by scouter." Niuno advised.

"What about Sargomel?"

The boy with the sideburns shrugged on the other end. "Isn't she on a trip with her parents somewhere?"

Goku recalled that she was an orphan, raised by Old Jinjer.

The connection abruptly ended, and Goku exited his house. The setting sun cast a warmer red light over the buildings of Saiya City. He took to the skies, blasting off towards the residence of his final friend.

Shortly, he arrived at the average sized dwelling. Goku knocked on the door, and before long it was answered. Ruco's father unsurely looked at him.

"Hey, Goku. What's up?" he asked.

Goku lopsidedly smiled. "Is Ruco home?"

The man nodded, turning around. "Ruco!" he shouted. "Goku's here."

She came down the stairs in her oversized sleeping clothes. "What's up?" she smiled.

"The others got a lead on Quash. We were going to check it out. You in?" Goku queried.

She looked expectantly at her father. "Go ahead." he nodded.

Ruco rushed up her stairs once more, emerging shortly in her pink undersuit and Foxtrot armor. They exited into the darkening outside.

"Where is this place?" Ruco panted, tail lashing behind her.

Goku took the the air, answering her. "Some building downtown. Just follow me."

So they flew off toward their friend's power level. Goku himself sat at an even eight hundred. Sargomel was about fifty above him. Tarble was only two hundred ten. The boy who had called them was a modest six hundred.

And the girl accompanying Goku's power level was around four hundred sixty. Of course, these were their rounded up maximums.

The youngest boy had 'discovered' that he could raise and lower his energy almost at will. Goku was confused, as he never even realized he was doing it. The other's had theorized it was something from earth.

Foxtrot Force vowed to help Goku go back at least once. Stories of a green and blue planet rich in unique organisms intrigued everyone he told them about.

Never once did it occur to him that such an act may somehow affect the wellbeing of his old home.

However, the wish granting properties of the Dragon Balls were kept secret by him. That had occurred to him, that telling was dangerous.

Shortly, they arrived at the dilapidated gathering of old buildings. Standing around and ogling them were the remainder of their squad.

Niuno noticed them first. He waved as the pair came down, smirking. "Hey guys."

Ruco got straight to the point. She absentmindedly massaged her neck. "Uh, what's this lead?"

"Niuno heard that Broly and his dad lived here." their prince explained. "It was abandoned a year ago when they built those new apartments near the factory."

Goku stared at the crumbling building. It certainly looked like it had been abandoned decades ago, not a single year. Then again, apartments aren't for the wealthiest saiyans, even he knew that.

"This place gives me the creeps." Goku noted. He had goosebumps, and his arm hairs stood up on end,

"So, which apartment did they live in?" the girl queried, folding her arms in the cold.

The boy with the sideburns blushed, looking down. "Well, you see…"

"Up there." Tarble interrupted, pointing behind him to the fifth floor of the newest building. "I did my research and checked the records,"

"Glad you thought ahead." Goku smiled, trying to calm his nerves. The place just gave him a sense of being watched.

The boy unsurely took the lead. Slowly, they entered the building. Goku had to pry the door off in order to get in, as there was no power.

It was very dark, so each team member summoned a small flame from their reserves as a light.

Goku looked around. It didn't look as old on the inside. Only a few things were out of place, and stains on the floor clearly outlining where furniture had once been. The occasional ceiling tile lay on the floor, exposed wire.

As they went up the stairwell, the group remained silent. They had been utterly baffled when Broly had just disappeared.

Sargomel merely placed a transfer request for him, yet he never showed up to another squad. Almost as if he had disappeared.

Reaching the fifth floor, Goku spoke up. "Which door is it?"

Tarble racked his mind. "It's… 523."

Ruco's anxiety flared. She pointed to a sign. "It says it's this way. Five twenty to five forty."

Goku immediately spotted the correct door. He smelled something odd. A foul scent that only intensified as they approached the grey door.

The boy closed his eyes. "No one's inside."

"Thanks, I was on the edge of my seat." Niuno chuckled.

"No, I don't blame him. This place doesn't smell right. Literally and figuratively." their prince assessed of the situation.

Ruco frowned at the eerie atmosphere. "I really don't like this."

Goku supposed it was now or never, and he kicked the door down. Immediately, the strong smell worsened. Although it wasn't inherently bad, the scent overwhelmed their saiyan senses.

Ruco bucked up and took the lead over from the boy. "What are we even looking for?"

"I dunno." Niuno shrugged, plugging his nose. "Anything that gives us an idea of where he went."

"And find out what that gross smell is." Goku added. "It's disgusting."

Ruco took one look into the bathroom and she shrieked. "Gah!"

All of them peeked their heads into the small room. There was a very rotted corpse slumped against the wall. It was very fresh, as most of the face was decayed away. A puddle of reddish brown liquid stretched over the floor. Leaving, of course, the half melted skeletal corpse face to frighten them.

"Woah." Niuno breathed, holding his nose.

Goku walked forward with knitted brows into the puddle. He poked the body, and it sank down and fell apart. "This isn't a saiyan." he deduced.

Ruco gagged. "That's disgusting."

Tarble frowned in disgust at the horrendous sight. To find a body in this apartment? "How do you think he got there?"

"Did Broly do this?" the boy nearest the body asked.

"T-there's no way of knowing." Ruco sighed. "Let's look around then report this."

Tarble was more than happy to move away. He left into the empty living room. Actually, there appeared to be an overturned bookshelf in the middle of the kitchen.

In one of the rooms was a circle of rocks and burnt pile of ashes in the center. A rucksack of some sort was in the corner.

"Hey, I found something." He shouted to those in the bathroom ogling the dead body. "It looks like a really old holo card."

"I've seen a reader for one of those at Old Jinjer's." Ruco returned, resuming looking at the corpse. Morbid curiosity kept them from looking away.

Goku scrutinized the body.

"Hey…" Niuno trailed off.

The younger boy turned around to look at those in the doorway. "His arms are gone."

Tarble opened the final door, fear spiking through him. He was too shocked to even scream. However, he nearly threw up.

Goku followed, and even he was surprised by the sight. At least seven bodies comprising of only bones and flesh barely clinging to them littered the reddened floor.

However, the most disturbing part of this room was in the corner. A clearly saiyan girl with her legs cut off from above the knees panted in the corner. A thick sheen of sweat covered her skin. It was concerning, as she was unclothed. Goku recognized her as Sargomel.

Ignoring what was most likely a makeshift graveyard, Goku approached her. He couldn't help assisting those in need, and she clearly needed their help.

"Are you okay?" he asked calmly, trying to keep a cool head.

Niuno and the others followed. "What did you f- woah! What the?! Sargomel, what the hell happened?!"

The girl in the pink undersuit blew her bangs out of her face, rushing to the amputee girl. "What happened?!"

Niuno frowned in disgust. This 'bone room' was just too much. His tough guy facade dropped. "I'm seriously freaked out. Grab her and let's get out of here. We gotta go now."

The girl on the floor weakly pointed up. Goku's stomach dropped, as in a hole through the ceiling he spotted someone staring at them. They all stared down silently with the figure in the dark.

"Hey!" Goku shouted. "Did you do this?!"

"Goku!" Ruco hissed.

"Yes." the figure rasped in a whispery voice.

Goku's anger manifested itself. He frowned angrily. "Why the heck would you kill all of these people?! And almost Sargomel?"

They saw the silhouette cock it's head in confusion. "I was hungry."

Ruco felt her stomach lurch. "So you ate her legs?!"

"Yeah."

"W-why?" Tarble demanded.

The figure shrugged. "I used to eat people all the time on missions." he rasped. "I realized the only meat I hadn't tried was saiyan. You kids want some?"

Goku scowled, dropping into a stance. "Why'd you kill so many people then?"

The man in the ceiling laughed. "Because if you wanna try something, you gotta go all out. There's a man, a woman, a boy… No two samples were the same. "

Niuno grit his teeth. "You're a sick freak!"

"No I'm not." the silhouette defended. "We used eat other races all the time on missions! How is this different?"

All but Goku had difficulty justifying their positions. The boy leapt forward. "They're people! I won't forgive you for hurting our friend!"

The mysterious cannibal dogged, speedily charging out the window of the sixth floor room. Goku trudged through the broken glass, looking out into Saiya City. There was no sign of him, and he somehow couldn't sense him.

Deciding there were more important things, he hopped down onto the fifth floor, crunching a bone under his boot. Goku looked to Sargomel, and he just felt even more enraged.

Why hadn't they noticed she was gone? How long had she been here? Questions for later. "Niuno, help me pick her up."

The boy nodded, and they carefully lifted the battered Sargomel, supporting her by her arms and what was left of her legs. Ruco was on the verge of tears, and Tarble struggled to not grind his teeth to dust.

"W-what happened?" the girl blubbered, looking down to her friend.

She received no answer, only shaky blinking. Goku, frowning, gave an order to the girl. "Hey, Ruco. Go ahead to the medcenter or something."

Composing herself, she nodded, taking a deep breath.

Tarble followed suit, but the smell of rotting corpses was too much. He paused to throw up.

Goku and Niuno tried to get out as quickly as they could. In the streetlight, Sargomel looked even worse.

It seemed as if the guy had bandaged up what was left of her legs to keep her alive. Goku wondered why someone would ever eat another person. But, it was normal to that man.

He was disgusted.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku and the others sat in the waiting room outside of Sargomel's room. After the the Foxtrot Force had gotten their captain to the hospital, she was immediately rushed to recovery.

Goku's anger had only built up as the time went by. Now, one of his best friends was legless in the room behind him, being doted on by medics.

The boy was the first to notice the green light above the door go on. Being familiar with hospitals due to his intense training and being prone to accidents, he knew that the light signified that it was okay to go in.

He stood up, entering before anyone even knew it. The physicians were just leaving as he entered.

Sargomel's eyes were dilated and glassy. A sure sign that she was on strong saiyan painkillers.

He cringed. "You okay?"

Her words were spoken faster than she could think, and were heavily slurred. "Yup. How are you?"

Goku could only guess she didn't remember. "I'm fine."

"That's good. How are you?" she queried again.

Yeah, she was definitely out of it. Without a word, he left her and went outside.

Tarble looked up expectantly. "How is she?"

The boy shrugged. "She's out of it."

Niuno shook his head, looking at his hands. "I'm disgusted."

"I know how you feel. I think we all do." Ruco said somberly. "I don't think I want to sleep or be alone ever again."

The prince stood up. "I have to get back to the palace and clean my mind. Please, keep me posted. Believe me, I don't want to leave."

"Yeah." Niuno nodded. "Your brother will be mad. We understand."

Goku sat back into the uncomfortable chair next to Ruco. "Why do bad things happen to good people? What did Sargomel do to deserve this?"

The girl leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "He's still out there."

Niuno put his hands in his head, inhaling carefully. "Did anyone tell their parents we're here?"

"Jinjer is coming." the boy with the messiest hair recited. "And I called my mom. You better go call yours."

As they left, he heard rapidly tapping boots approaching him, Goku looked to see his mother being trailed by the surprisingly spry Old Jinjer. The old woman went in the door, leaving the boy and Gine.

"What happened?" she calmly asked, clearly concerned.

Goku merely shook his head, very traumatized. "I- I just don't want to talk about it."

Gine regarded her son cautiously. That is, until she heard the shriek from the old woman in the room behind her. Very unnerved, she entered the room as well.

Goku followed.

The old lady wept over her granddaughter. Sargomel was too high to even comprehend her surroundings. She just smiled and looked ahead.

Gine was mortified. Her child had gotten into a situation where his friend lost her legs? She wasn't sure how to proceed with limitations right now.

"It's time to go home, Kakarot." She calmly said.

Goku didn't even attempt to correct her. He shook his head. "I have to stay."

"Bless you." Jinjer sighed at him.

The unsure mother sighed, in defeat. "Fine. Let's go outside, and you can tell me what happened."

oXo

* * *

oXo

The boy fell asleep after reciting the story to his mother. Gine, could not sleep at all after such a tale. It surprised her, that her son could sleep after experiencing such a horror, and she could not.

However, a scream from the room behind her woke Goku. He shot awake, entering Sargomel's hospital room.

She sweated profusely, scanning the room frantically. "Goku." Sargomel breathed.

He nodded, coming to her side. "I'm here."

Tears formed in her eyes. "I…"

Goku shot her a sympathetic look as if to say 'I know'.

"Thanks for giving me a leg up." Sargomel joked. After, she laughed hard before it turned into loud sobbing.

The boy could only look on as she cried. Sargomel had never cried before now. Could he even comfort her? He'd never lost limbs to a cannibal before.

"I'm sorry." he quietly said.

She sniffled. "You dummy." she chuckled. "This isn't your foot." she punned.

Goku smiled awkwardly. "Give me a break. And… toe-give me."

Sargomel narrowed her sunken eyes in confusion. "You can do better. Give it a thigh."

The boy shook his head, refocusing. "Are you okay? What… happened, you know?"

"I heard about that lead from Niuno a week ago." she began. "I went without you guys. That guy was there." Tears welled again. "He made me eat my own legs."

He didn't know what to say. "Did… they taste good?" he jokingly asked.

Sargomel couldn't help but chuckle at the dark joke. "No. I had athlete's foot." She knew he didn't mean any harm. The girl wiped tears from her eyes. "I'm going to have nightmares forever."

"Yeah…" Goku agreed. "All of us will." Pausing, he pursed his lips. "So what did they tell you?"

"About my condition?" Goku nodded. "Malnourished and amputated legs. My tail, too. I don't remember him taking that. And… I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm glad." he stated. "That you don't remember." he clarified.

"I know what you meant." Sargomel assured. She sighed. "I either get mechanical legs or go legless."

Goku frowned. "I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with that. Robot legs?"

"Yeah. Only problem is, I can't afford them. My gram definitely can't. Looks like you're the captain now." she smiled weakly.

The door opened, and the broad figure of Bardock filled the doorway. "I can afford it."

"I couldn't ask you to do that for free!" she hissed.

"It won't be." Bardock threateningly said.

"Alright then." Sargomel sighed. "What's the catch?"

He scowled. "Tell me about this cannibal. I swear, I'll find him and eat his legs for you."

The girl glared. "Don't do that. Put him in a dark hole where he can grow old and never get out."

Bardock smirked. "That can be arranged. So, the guy?"

Goku frowned. Despite his crimes, he didn't believe it was right to take an eye for an eye. How is one better than an offender if they carry out a crime in revenge?

She closed her eyes. "He had really sharp teeth." Sargomel shuddered. "But, he had a kind face. When I went to the apartment, he convinced me that he was a janitor. I trusted him…"

"Hey, don't force yourself to tell us what happened if you aren't ready." Goku assured kindly. "Just about him."

Sargomel wiped a tear from her eye, nodding. "His hair wasn't spiky. It was… limp? Like an alien. That's how he tricked me. I was convinced he wasn't a saiyan, so how could he be a janitor?"

Bardock scowled. "Did you notice anything else?"

"Wait…" Goku said cautiously. "Why did he let us get away with you?"

"You're probably not safe here." the man scowled. "I'll have one of my crew members guard you. I've gotta catch this guy. I checked the apartment. There's a fine line between murder and planet trading."

Goku wasn't so sure.

The door behind them opened. A doctor with soft brown hair and a mask obscuring his features entered. Goku saw his eyes widen, and before long he left almost as soon as he entered.

"Something about that guy was familiar." Goku noted.

Sargomel laugh cried. "He treated you when Niuno broke your leg."

"Well," Barodock interrupted. "I'm going to do some investigation. Got a scent on the rucksack he left in there." he rubbed the back of his head. "There were a bunch of tails in there. Including yours."

Sargomel closed her eyes, sinking down. Taking tails as trophies hadn't happened since the saiyan feudal age, if she recalled correctly. It only made her feel worse.

So, his father took his leave. That left them alone. Sargomel almost immediately went to the verge of tears.

"Hug me." she shakily demanded. Goku complied, embracing her from the side. The girl burst into ugly tears.

"I'm sorry." he breathed. Goku was shocked. Anxiety pricked at his heart. Absolutely, he didn't know what to say. The girl only sobbed harder at his silence. Sargomel never cried.

It certainly surprised him. The boy hadn't even considered this kind of thing. He didn't even think that kind of thing happened, as the saiyan crime rate was nonexistent on Vegeta.

"I- I don't know what to say. I don't know how to comfort you." he honestly admitted.

He really wished this was a problem he could punch.

"Just hold me." she begged. "And listen."

"Of course." Goku breathed.

"W-when I went there… He convinced me he was a janitor or something. Then he knocked me out… and I woke up naked in the bathtub." she sniffled, sobbing shakily. "And he ate my left leg while I was still awake. Then I was in the other room, and… and…"

He just squeezed tighter, embracing her as if his life depended on it. "I'm sorry." he repeated, unsure of how to respond.

"I can never trust anyone again." she croaked. Goku had never seen her so low.

He smiled limply. "Well, you trust me, don't you?"

"That's different." she weakly chuckled. "You wouldn't hurt a fly unless you wanted to fight it."

They sat, embracing each other for a while.

There was a polite knock, and then their prince entered. Tarble smiled unsurely. "You okay?"

Sargomel shrugged. Goku moved away, standing at her bedside. "What's up?"

"Well, I checked that data chip." he gulped.

Goku's mind suddenly drew dark conclusions. "...What was on it?"

"Recordings. Of…" Tarble paused, tugging at his collar. "Cooking, other things. I'm sorry, Sargomel."

The girl croaked, leaning back and covering her eyes with her hands.

"Anything that could help us catch this guy?" the boy interrupted.

The prince frowned. "He refers to himself as a 'Chef'. But, actually, what I came to talk about was the other things on it."

Sargomel rolled over the best she could. "Don't."

"Well, no. The card belonged to Paragus and Broly originally. There's a couple of logs on it." Tarble revealed.

Sargomel uncovered her eyes, looking at him. "Really? Anything interesting?"

The prince nodded. "Apparently, my father had them executed fifteen years ago. Supposedly."

"What?" Goku asked. "Why would he do that?"

"He was born with a power level of ten thousand." he revealed in amazement.

The girl widened her eyes. "That can't be true." she scoffed. "Why would he be on our squad then?"

Tarble frowned. "Remember his jewelry? Paragus made it to control Broly's power. We were all tricked."

"So… why did they leave? Where did they go?" Goku queried, looking down.

"That's the weirdest part…" the boy said ominously. "They left because of you. I don't know why, but there was a list of words that made him lose control. Kakarot was on that."

"Why though?" Sargomel weakly asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like I said, I don't know. The logs just said what I told you. Broly was like a ticking time bomb." Tarble remarked.

Ruco and Niuno entered shortly later, sympathetic looks on their faces. "Did you tell them?" the boy with the sideburns queried.

Tarble turned around, nodding.

Goku frowned. "Could that have been Paragus?" he whispered.

The prince looked at him. "I don't think so. I think we just stumbled onto something else."

Ruco stepped forward. "Alright, boys. Get out, it's girl time."

Goku and the others complied, he was still a tad shaken up.

Hopefully, his father would find the perpetrator quickly.

He really hoped so. For the first time since it happened, he felt sick.


	8. Chapter 8: Duped

**BUTCHER ARC PART II**

Bardock strutted out of the hospital, toward his awaiting teammates. He felt very sickened.

"So?" Panbukin bellowed. "Anything new?"

The man shook his head. "I smelled him in that room. I'm certain she could too. Must be driving her insane."

"Shit." Fasha breathed.

Tora frowned. "Where do we go now?"

"Borgos and Panbukin, stay here. Alternate guard duty. This guy let them escape way too easily,"

"What if he's just weaker than them?" the balding saiyan proposed.

"He was strong enough to incapacitate Sargomel." the woman pointed out. "Strong enough that she couldn't do anything."

Tora shook his head. "All I can say is… damn. We need to go and capture this guy, now."

"No one's disagreeing." Bardock grunted. "I'm sure all of us want to cut his legs off too, and shove them up his ass until he dies."

"Elegantly put, as always, Bardock." Fasha joked, smirking. "Now, where do we start?"

"I want to go stake out the lair. Tora, with me. Fasha, patrol. The guy's a saiyan that doesn't look like one. Nice looking, limp hair she said." their captain declared. "Let's go."

oXo

* * *

oXo

When they arrived, there were police droids and a single humanoid commander. One of the droids closest to him, held up a three fingered hand in a vain attempt to stop him.

"Halt." it buzzed. "There is a pending investigation beyond the perimeter."

"I'm Bardock." he gruffly stated. He could just charge in, but that would be improper.

"Let him in, Beethree." the balding man in the blue uniform ordered.

Quickly, the automaton with the bulbous head stepped out of the way. He didn't care much for robots. Not smart enough for his taste. Something sophisticated enough to give a proper conversation was his speed. But androids were rare.

He had met with a planet of intelligent machines before. Surprisingly, they were very pleasant. Although, that may have been because his reputation preceded him in most cases. Bardock could sneeze and make a moon explode, let alone a tin toy.

"Sheriff." Tora acknowledged. "Any development."

"I don't understand." the lawman declared. "What's your connection to this crime?"

"Is the only reason you're here is because of your job?" Bardock queried.

He shook his head. "No. I absolutely want to catch him with a burning passion."

"Yeah." Bardock nodded. "Also, one of the victims is my son's friend."

The man, sheriff Fugu as his badge indicated, frowned. "That reminds me. Is she awake? I need to send someone over to talk to her."

"I already did. Noticed more than she said." the saiyan captain said, folding his arms. "Tora will fill you in. He's got a scouter recording of the conversation, and my observations. It's not much, but I figured she didn't want to talk to a stranger."

The man, in order to do his job properly, picked up minor investigation skills. They weren't much, but noticing signs of dissent and treason certainly helped on missions.

Bardock walked past him to the room with the fire pit and bag of tails and tail bones. A droid was examining it with his optical receptor. He went to the closet, hoping to find something.

To his surprise, he did. The closet had a false bottom, and it wasn't blatantly obvious. Bardock simply noticed it after a few seconds of staring. He saw the corner of a grate underneath a cold storage box.

He didn't even want to look inside. But, of course, he did. The man frowned in disgust when he found part of a leg. Most likely Sargomel's. He resealed it and handed the box over to the droid behind him.

Carefully, he lifted the grate up. The saiyan man didn't know what to expect. A small backpack of some kind was inside. Bardock lifted it out.

Inside he found an unopened plastic screen, a set of butcher tools, a bloodied white undersuit, and a white lab coat. That was the most shocking thing to him.

Carefully, he splayed the coat out before him. He smirked. In the breast pocket was an identification cylinder for a physician.

"We have our guy!" he shouted. The sheriff and Tora entered suit, looking to him expectantly. He handed the finger length cylinder over to the lawman.

He took it, inserting it into his datapad. Fugu sighed in disappointment.

"What's wrong?" Tora asked, eyebrow raised.

"This belongs to the guy in the bathroom. Doctor Zeziro." he frowned.

"Who are the other victims?" Bardock sighed, looking up.

"All saiyans. I'm still trying to identify the remains. However, there are bones from an adult male, an adult female, a child male, child female, elderly male, elderly female, juvenile male. Then Sargomel." Fugu said, looking at his logs. "It looks like he was… trying them."

"They said he told them that back at the hospital." the saiyan captain revealed, standing up. "Said it was just to try it, but that's not all he did."

"I know." the sheriff breathed, closing his eyes. "We're dealing with a tried and true psychopath, I think. Charismatic enough to trick them? Unapologetic? Hate to sound like a holo drama, but that's where my money is."

"Serial killer?" Tora suggested, semi offhandedly. He was certain that this policeman watched too many programs. Sheriff Fugu most likely just enjoyed throwing around buzzwords in order to spice up his mundane alien life on Vegeta.

Bardock looked at him. "Our body count is higher than his, guarantee it."

"Yeah, but that's a job. I… feel things about it. I feel really bad when they don't fight back." the man with the ponytail admitted. "It was fun at first, but I've had a lot of time to think."

"I know." Bardock sighed. "You find anything, get back to me? I've got his scent." Now, that didn't mean he could track this guy. Bardock would only be able to recognize his smell.

The sheriff nodded.

They exited the apartments.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Sargomel sat up, as her friends came into the sterile room. It still hurt everywhere, including on her legs. Phantom pains were not rare for her. That really irritated her, that it ached in places she didn't have.

She set down the cup of gelatin she was working on, giving them her full attention. It was only Goku and Ruco today. She had spoken with the girl a lot over the past few days.

"Hey." she waved.

Goku nodded in acknowledgment. The girl in pink spandex, however, was more verbal.

"How are you feeling?"

Sargomel shrugged. "The same. I'm trying to put my mind off of everything. But, I can't go very far."

Goku just felt anger rise in his stomach. He didn't understand why someone would do this. "We had a good training session today."

He immediately regretted saying that when her face sank. Sargomel avoided eye contact, sinking into her bed.

"Err." Ruco mumbled. "So, have you heard about getting new legs?"

The girl nodded. "It takes a lot of preparation. They have to make them… My… stumps have to heal over… And even when I get them, there's a lot of physical therapy. They'll need to be replaced when I hit my growth spurt. "

The boy smiled hopefully. "I know you can do it."

"Oh, I know I can do it. I'm just not looking forward to the surgery. You have to be awake so they can make sure the nerves are attached and working…" Sargomel cringed.

Ruco put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you can do it. Something really bad happened to you, but I know you're strong. You're stronger than all of us."

"Not anymore." she scoffed. She opened her violet bagged eyes wide. "I can still fly, but I miss having feet. Y'know, they say that you never really fully appreciate something until you lose it. It's true."

"What about your tail?" Goku queried. "My dad did something on my back and it regrew two years ago."

"Yeah, I'm still young enough for it to work." she nodded. "They haven't done it because… Well I don't know."

Goku smiled lopsidedly. "Well, roll over and I'll give it a shot."

Ruco helped her lie on her stomach. She lifted her hospital tunic, exposing the bandaged area around her waist. The boy lifted the cloth, seeing the angry looking area where he tail once was.

Unsurely, he jabbed his thumb hard above the scar. Her whole body clenched. Sargomel yelped loudly as her tail regrew.

Panting, she fell passed out. Ruco frowned, hurting for her friend.

She leaned up Goku for comfort. The boy frowned as well. "How come you do that?"

"...What?" she asked unsurely.

"You always lean on me. Like what my parents do." Goku pointed out in confusion.

Ruco tore away, blushing profusely. "There's no reason at all! I don't know what you're talking about, Goku!"

"If you say so…" He trailed off, looking to the door.

It opened and the doctor from before with the face mask walked in. "What just happened?" he asked in a rough voice. He looked to the girl. "Did you grow her tail back?"

"Yeah." Ruco said.

"Ugh. When she gets her legs, she'll have to get used to another center of balance…"

Goku put a hand behind his head, legitimately remorseful. "Oh."

"It's fine…" The man coughed. "You're only trying to help. But leave it to the professionals next time, or I'll have you thrown out"

The doctor left.

The boy went to the door.

"Where are you going?" the girl worriedly queried.

The Ruco noticed the bags under his eyes that matched their friend in the bed. "I need to keep looking. I was out all night."

"What?!" she cried. "That's so dangerous!"

Goku nodded. "I have to. For Sargomel."

"You've been going out all alone?" she asked incredulously. "What if you get hurt?!"

"I don't care." he shook his head. "I have to go stop him."

Ruco looked to the floor, but then to the boy. Her cheeks pinkened. "I do!"

The boy remained still. "So do I."

She felt very conflicted. "No… I mean I really care about you."

"Yeah." he repeated, obviously. "You're all important to me. That's why I have to do this."

"Goku!" she shouted frustratedly. Ruco sighed in frustration, blushing even deeper. "I mean… I like you!"

That admission stopped him in his tracks. "Oh."

Her face dropped, a defeated expression replacing it. "What? You didn't… know..?"

Goku didn't know how to feel. "Uh, I knew!" he lied. "I just didn't know you'd admit it right now!" She seemed to be hurt, but her smile returned. Ruco's eyes wandered everywhere but him.

Then her frown came back. "You knew and you didn't say anything? Does that mean..?"

The boy rubbed the back of his head. "No, I didn't know. I just don't know how to feel. I mean… I've just never seen you that way."

Utterly crushed by her crush, Ruco turned around. "Oh."

"Listen." he sighed. "I'll get back to you. I have to go now."

Goku ran out of the room, leaving a very conflicted Ruco.

Sargomel looked up to her from the bed. "Did you just..?"

"Make a fool of myself?" Ruco queried, frowning. "Yeah."

"Come on." the girl scoffed. "This is Goku we're talking about. He'd never hurt you on purpose."

Ruco sat on the bed, clutching her head. "I'm such an idiot."

"I wish I were as brave as you." Sargomel admitted.

Ruco shook her head. "That wasn't bravery, that was stupidity."

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku aimlessly ran through the streets. As he glanced and scanned the people he passed, he hoped to find some hint of the man who wronged their friend. He had only a silhouette and voice to work off of.

All of a sudden, a rock struck his head. Crashing to the pavement, he turned around quickly. A large rock with something written on it lay on the sidewalk.

Looking around, he found that no one was in sight. Not a single energy was around him either. Carefully, he picked up the fist sized rock.

Turning it over, he inspected the writing. Never had he wished he was a stronger reader than now. Basic script was confusing to him. Many characters looked the same when close enough. Words such as… whatever this one was… often appeared to him as gibberish.

Goku couldn't tell if it said 'hhksj' or something else… So, he ran back to the hospital as fast as he could.

Running through the sterile halls, he was suddenly stopped when Borgos blocked the hallway.

"Slow down there, pup." he warned. "Where's the fire?"

He held the stone up, presenting it. "Someone threw this at me, but I can't read it. What does it say?"

The balding man raised an eyebrow. "You trying to prank me? It says 'Chef'."

Goku felt his blood run cold. "Really?"

"Yeah." he scoffed. "This isn't funny, wr-"

"I can't read!" the boy shouted. "He was following me?!"

Borgos turned the stone over in his hands. "The way it's written, it sorta looks looks like it says 'house' when upside down."

The boy looked expectantly to the older man. "You don't think…"

He pressed a button on his scouter. "Panbukin, come to the south exit. We have to go."

Goku took this as a signal to run toward his house. Various scenarios ran through his mind, he felt his father's comrades chasing behind him.

Oddly enough, he didn't think to check his house for people before he tore the door off. "Mom?!" he shouted into the well lit home. "Mom?!"

"What?!" Gine returned, coming from the kitchen. "What is going on? Why are you screaming?"

Borgos and Panbukin immediately went to checking the perimeter. He handed the rock to the woman. "I was just-"

"It says 'house'." Then she flipped it over. "Chef?"

"Someone threw it at me while I was downtown." he panted.

"Is that Panbukin and Borgos out there? Aren't they supposed to be guarding Sargomel in case the guy comes back?" Her blood ran cold. "They came here with you."

Goku froze, pressing the call button ok his scouter. "Niuno? Ruco? Tarble? Any of you with Sargomel?"

"I'm at the palace." the prince whispered. "Can't talk."

The girl spoke next. "I'm at my house."

There was no response from Niuno. Shocking, because it was his shift to keep their captain company. "Niuno?"

Dead silence.

Panbukin cursed, turning on his communicator. "Anyone near the hospital? Need confirmation on the girl."

"...Why?" Bardock coldly grunted through grit teeth. "Did you allow us to get duped?"

Borgos began to sweat, but then sped through the skies toward the hospital. Panbukin followed suit, leaving the confused Goku and his mother.

"Did..? Did I just kill my friends?" he breathed, frowning.

"What?" Gine scoffed. "How is this your fault? We don't even know she's gone, hon."

He shook his head, feeling outward. "No, she's gone. Not at the hospital, I mean."

Someone with a mask jumped down from somewhere, throwing red dust in all directions. With a kick to their heads, both mother and child found their skills conked against the stone pavement.

Goku caught the glimpse of someone crouching near him before he passed out.

oXo

* * *

oXo

He inhaled deeply, trying to regain his bearings. Goku shot forward, only to be restricted via his tail. Sharp pain shot up his spine as he tried to look behind him.

Some sort of cuff was attached to his tail, and legs. Panicking, he tried to think.

"You're awake." someone said in a raspy voice.

Looking around, he tried to spot someone in the dark. Unfortunately, he was unable to spot anyone.

"Where's Sargomel?!" he cried.

The voice paused. "The hospital, still."

"Why did you take me? Where's my mom?!" he screamed, struggling. It was hard to keep cool. Goku never really liked being restrained in the first place, and he was a little claustrophobic.

"No, I just took you. But, I was forced to capture your other friend. The boy, Niuno." he said in a rough voice.

"Why?!" Goku grunted. "I really want to fight you!"

"You intrigue me." he admitted. "I had never really been caught before you. Still, even when I attempted to get my meat back, you kept me away."

Goku tried to break the chain with all his strength. "You're a monster!"

"Futile. That's Katchin." the man explained. Goku could feel him grinning from wherever he was. However, it was if the man was speaking to him from all directions. "Now, I just want to taste you even more than ever."

The boy frowned in disgust, persisting in his struggle against the metal holding him back.

"Let me out so I can hurt you!" Goku shouted.

"No." the man sharply said, as if a child not wanting to attend church. "I need you."

"W-why?"He queried, calming down.

"I told you already!" he impatiently rasped. "You're the only one to have caught me and get away. There were others, but I ate them too. I have to fix this."

Goku grit his teeth, concentrating. He only dealt as if he needed to stall. "Are you going to go after Sargomel again?"

"Yes." he admitted. "She's mine, after all. She belongs to me. But, she wasn't my original target, so I could be fine without her. Sargomel merely stumbled upon me, and it was welcome. Saved me the time of getting the person I was originally following." he sighed. "But, I digress. You're just more important than her right now. I'm fascinated."

"My dad and the others are out looking for you right now!" he shouted. "If you're going to hurt my friends again, I won't let you kill me!"

"I already did." he chuckled. "I'm sending you down a present, just sit patiently."

Goku sat in the darkness, anxiously waiting. With his heightened hearing, before long he heard frantic screaming. The boy's anger only increased.

Silence followed. He didn't know how long it was before a small light at the top of wherever he was being held filtered through.

A small box dropped through the opening in the ceiling, just within Goku's grasp. "Hn." he nervously muttered.

When the boy didn't move, his host grew angry. "Openit!" he sharply snarled. "Or there'll be more."

Goku reached for the wooden chest, shakily bringing it toward him.

Carefully, he drew the wooden lip up. He looked away, disgusted by what he saw.

Two eyes stared up at him, along with a few bloodied teeth.

"Who is this?!" he growled.

The man smirked from the hole in the ceiling. Goku barely made out the outline of his sharp teeth.

"Take a guess. Does it make you feel angry? I hope it does."

"I feel bad for you." Goku admitted. "If you can do stuff like this, you must not have feelings."

"I feel good." he rasped. "Especially when you react. So why aren't you?" he annoyedly asked.

"Because I feel bad for you. You're going to die alone."

"We all do, kiddo." Clearly, he liked that response.

Goku just remained silent in the darkness. He tossed the box into the corner.

He had to escape.


	9. Chapter 9: Not Always Satisfying

**BUTCHER ARC PART III**

After a while, his anger reached its peak. Wind whipped around him despite the enclosed space, and his hair flared.

Somehow, his body glowed a soft red, as if he were in a photo development room.

"Ka…" he whispered, holding his hands at his sides. It was difficult due to his restricted movement. "Me…"

"What are you doing?" he rasped in annoyance. "Can you hurry up and starve to death already? I like my meat fresh, but not this fresh."

"Ha… me…" blue light grew betwixt his hands.

Goku heard the familiar beeping of a scouter from above him. "What?!"

"HA!" he shouted, throwing the energy upward. He didn't know how long it carried, but he was certain it went up far, like a beacon.

The boy only heard screams and rocks crumbling as the ceiling collapsed on him.

oXo

* * *

oXo

"You damn idiots!" Bardock barked, punching a boulder. "He's been gone for hours!"

His team members had no excuses. They merely watched his outburst.

Fasha merely shook her head. "We need to be looking, not crying."

Tora turned to the city. "Borgos, Panbukin? You really fucked up."

"The girl is safe!" the bald one bellowed.

Bardock looked to the horizon, fuming. He was very irritated with this entire situation, especially that his son had become directly involved.

He put his back to them. "Listen-"

Every scouter rapidly rose before exploding. Bardock was confused. They didn't have a limit, but rapidly rising power levels overheated them.

A deafening boom erupted near the center of the city. A pillar of blue energy sprawled up into the air.

"What?" the fat one asked. "What the hell is that?"

"Kakarot." the father breathed. He recognized the azure blast as one his son used. Bardock flew toward it.

He landed on the roof of a nearby building, staring down into the sinkhole of a building. Collapsed rubble was all he saw when he looked at the flaming hole.

Numerous citizens and warriors lined the hole, looking down in curiosity.

"Bardock?" someone asked.

"Hey what happened here?" he demanded to know. "Anyone know?"

No one spoke up, so he flew down the dark hole. Inside it was another hole, collapsed rubble again lining it.

A body was slumped against the rim of the hole, smoking from the front. He had definitely been burned, judging from the smell.

He moaned, rolling over. "You okay?" Bardock asked.

"That's him!" someone screamed frantically from another room. "That's the guy!"

Bardock steeled his gaze at the smoking body. It opened it's mouth to gasp, and he saw razor sharp teeth in his mouth.

He picked the man up by the neck, staring at him. Rage filled his veins, and he slowly began to squeeze.

"No!" he rasped. "I'm not done!"

"I am."

"You're no different than I am." he snarled. "I just have different tastes."

Bardock couldn't find the words to disagree with him. "Gah!" he screamed.

The saiyan warrior threw his clenched fist forward, punching through the man. He spluttered and warm blood splattered on Bardock's face.

"My manifesto is downstairs…" were his last words. Bardock hated, no, despised how unapologetic he was.

Bardock removed his hand from his internal organs, tossing the cannibal to the floor to slowly bleed to death. He was only glad it was over.

Honestly, it wasn't satisfying enough to him. But, he trudged on. His son was here somewhere, and he would find him.

Firstly, he had to check the room where somehow had screamed. So he pried the door off, going in. Chained up skeletons lined the walls, but most concerningly was a boy he recognized.

Niuno panted on the wall, blood covering his face. "Hello?! Is he dead?!" he begged.

He cringed at the boy's state. "Niuno. Yes. What the hell happened?"

"It doesn't matter!" His heart pounded in his chest. "Goku was being held downstairs!"

"Where?" he asked.

"I don't know! My eyes! I can't see!" Niuno cried. Tears would not come. "Just get Goku and then me, and let's get out of here."

Bardock nodded grimly, staring into the rubble filled hole. "Goku!" he shouted.

He hopped down, digging near the center of the hole. Desperately, he searched. Bardock couldn't lose his son, it would crush Gine. Of course, he would be sad, but he didn't let emotions hamper him.

Bardock was immensely relieved when he uncovered his son's bleeding head. Obviously he had done this. His breathing brought hope to him.

With extreme precision, he broke the rocks surrounding him. Bardock had to really try in order to break the chains. Whatever they were made of, they were tough.

Goku was battered and cut all over. He tucked his son under his arm, flying up toward the other boy.

Tora and Fasha were there, helping the boy free. "This is… I just…" the woman sighed.

Niuno spit blood onto the floor. "Just get me to the hospital. I can't see."

"He ripped your eyes out." Tora breathed, shaking his head. "I know we saiyans aren't the most moral people, but…"

"This whole thing is a philosopher's field day." Fasha remarked.

"No it isn't. Do you mean to say something else?" he scoffed. "Let's just not talk about it and never ever remember this." the captain barked, flying away.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku awoke confused. All he saw was blurry blue. Confusedly, he brought his hand in front of his face.

Then, he recognized the sight as the healing fluid from the rejuvenation chambers. If he was in one of them, it could only mean that he was safe.

Everyone in the lair… was safe. So he sighed into the oxygen mask, happy. However, doubt and anger unknown to him before know crept upon him, preventing the boy from truly calming down.

Someone definitely noticed his heart rate was elevated. The fluid started to drain, and he began to stand up. He stepped into the rejuvenation wing, fully nude.

A technician handed him a towel and underclothes. "Is..?"

"Everyone is safe, Goku." the doctor informed him, walking away.

Goku put the underclothes on, finding a hospital tunic and shorts next to the pod in his size. He figured that they might not want to release him for some reason. It annoyed him greatly. For he did not like hospitals.

No one was left in the room with him, save for the people floating in tanks. No one he recognized, and he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

So, he stepped out into the hallway, very shaken up. Goku very much wanted to find his friends and make sure they were okay. The dim lights and minimal staff informed him that it was most likely nighttime.

"Hello?" he called quietly into the hallway.

His mother peeked around the corner, immediately making a beeline toward him. She embraced him, not very many words following. "Kakarot." she breathed in his hair.

"Is it over?" he asked.

Gine sighed, pulling slightly away. "I think so."

"Did he get anyone else?"

"Niuno…" she trailed off.

The boy frowned, he had just an idea as to what happened. "He's blind."

"...Yeah…" the mother sighed, wishing her child was someone else. So that this wouldn't happen to him. She wished he would've stayed on earth, just to not go through this.

"Can… I see him?" he queried.

Gine merely nodded, leading him to the room that housed Sargomel prior. Goku had noticed a few extra beds in there, so he guessed they were both being held there.

Most saiyan hospital stays were only for the use of healing pods. Despite their capacity to hold many, one usually got a room to themselves in a saiyan hospital.

Goku entered alone, standing tall in the dark room. Well, as tall as he could. As expected, his friends were wide awake.

Well, he could only guess based on Niuno's… condition. Sargomel appeared to be in mid sentence when he entered.

"Who is it?" the boy with the sideburns asked. His face was bandaged above his nose. Cloth was in his mouth, no doubt to keep his lack of teeth blood free.

"I guess I got off easy." Goku said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Goku!" Niuno cheered through his muffled mouth. "Hey, it's good to see you. Uh, I mean… You know what I mean."

He felt guilty, and their captain recognized it. "Oh, no no no. Goku, this isn't your fault! We just got involved in something bad."

"I'm sorry." he breathed. "That I couldn't protect you."

"It may hurt like hell, but I'm just glad we're all alive." the captain sighed, sinking down.

Goku steeled himself. He was running on autopilot, as the boy was conflicted.

"Yeah." Goku said, walking to a spare cot. "Niuno?"

"Yeah?" he asked, turning his head.

"I'm going to learn how I sense energy, and then I'll teach you." he promised.

The boy with the sideburns sat back. "That sounds cool."

Goku noticed his tough facade was all but down. It slightly pained him to see his friends so affected. "I don't…"

"Shut up." Sargomel commanded. "I've come to terms with this. I'm not going to let it bring me down anymore. Hell, you have both legs and both eyes, so stop feeling sorry for us. Don't look down on us, and be thankful for what you have."

Goku smiled, looking up. "I have you guys."

"Gee." Niuno sighed. "I don't know if just bottling up will deal with this. This has scarred us forever, but we need to be proud of our scars."

Goku laid down. "Yeah. We need to talk about this whole thing. Together, I mean. Then we can move past this."

Sargomel grabbed the scouter from her bedside. She affixed to her head, winking at the boy. "Let me call the others. Ruco will be happy to see you okay."

Right, Ruco. Goku turned around, looking at the window. How should he respond to her? Really, he hadn't ever felt for anyone the way she obviously did for him.

Was there etiquette he didn't understand?

Would it hurt her if he said no? Most likely. Would she be hurt if he only courted her out of obligation? He didn't know.

On one hand, he supposed she would be happy as long as he lied to her. Providing, of course, she didn't know that he didn't feel the same way.

On the other… Goku just couldn't decide what to do. The back of his mind was telling him to say yes to her confession, even if it was just to be nice. Would another person that loved him help him through these troubled times..?

Could he help her as well? Goku was clueless. Regardless of everything, he didn't want her to get hurt.

He wanted no one else to get hurt. Surprisingly, his Kamehameha had worked. It was strong enough to get him out of trouble. He only felt the desire to get stronger.

A thought crept across his mind. Could he use the Dragon Balls to restore his friends' bodies?

That was the one thing he hadn't told anyone about. He only mentioned treasure when he explained the story of adventuring past Mount Paozu. Goku had seen firsthand the greed those orbs could inspire within people.

Also, Bulma told him not to.

So he pondered them. It certainly would be a good use of them. But, the problem was getting there. Telling his friends was a problem, as well.

Maybe planet Vegeta had Dragon Balls? Goku dismissed that quickly. They were most likely exclusive to earth.

"Goku?" Niuno queried. "You okay? You've been pretty silent."

"He's staring out the window." Sargomel explained to her blind friend.

Goku turned around. "I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"Earth." he revealed, leaning on the wall. "I miss my friends from there."

"Tell me about them some more. Even if we've heard about them, it might help you." Sargomel suggested.

Niuno chuckled. "Yeah, they never get old. The one where the rabbit guy turns people into carrots? It's ridiculous!"

"But true." Goku assured. "I lived more on that one trip than in twelve years of living." he reminisced

"My favorite story is the one where you got the last treasure. You turned into a great ape." she snickered.

Goku turned to them, face serious. "I need to tell you guys something."

Niuno could tell by his tone that this was serious. Both he and the girl steeled themselves. "Okay."

"You can't tell anyone." He warned. "The earth might be in danger. Also," he added, "take your scouter off."

Sargomel nodded, complying. "Go ahead."

"The seven treasures were actually called the Dragon Balls." he explained reverently.

Niuno stopped him there. "What?" he scoffed. "Quit fooling us."

"Huh?" Goku queried.

"Yeah, it's not funny. So your mom told you bedtime stories to make up for your lost programming?" Sargomel chided.

"What? You think I'm lying?"

"Everyone and their mother has heard the story of the Dragon Balls of the lost planet Namek!" Niuno clarified.

"I'm not lying." he assured. "Earth has Dragon Balls."

"I… don't think you're lying. You don't lie." the girl admitted after thinking. "What did you and the others wish for?"

"Oolong wished for panties." the boy explained, lowering his head.

On Vegeta and most of the known galaxy, saiyans only had underwear. That was what it was called. Usually, it was unisex in either brief or boxer brief form. Panties was the name only in the connotation of lingerie.

"He wished for sexy underwear..?" Sargomel asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. It was really comfortable too." Goku said, serious as a heart attack.

Niuno needed that laugh. He burst into uproarious laughter, bloody tears escaping his bandaged eyes.

"You're crying blood." the girl explained.

He raised a hand to his eye, as if too look at what stuck to his finger. But he smelled the iron of blood on his fingers with his intense senses. "I miss colors." he chuckled. "Dammit. I'll never be able to see jugs." He frowned.

"You're such a boy." Sargomel frowned, sympathetic. Even if it was a juvenile statement, he really wouldn't be able to. Then she raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you see plenty in the locker room?"

Goku looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He never really looked, nor did he understand the statement offered by Niuno. He had no strong desire to see anyone's breasts, for any purpose.

Niuno just laughed again. "It's different. We're even closer than friends. We're a team. I stopped noticing after the first couple days. Besides, I mean really good ones!"

Sargomel frowned, a little bit offended as a young woman. But then she blushed in embarrassment that she even was worried. "Wait a minute! You didn't tell us about the Dragon Balls just for a story, did you?"

"No." Goku shook his head. "You can wish for anything." he naively explained.

"I could get my eyes back?" the boy exclaimed excitedly. "Sign me up."

"I just don't know when we can go back." Goku explained his worries. "And we can't tell anyone. Except maybe Tarble and Ruco, I mean. We have to be really careful."

"Yeah." Sargomel beamed. "Of course."

Niuno nodded. "I wonder if I'll get crazy heightened senses because of this… Maybe I should keep my sockets eyeless." he joked. "Teeth grow back. I'll have more by the end of the week."

"We already have heightened senses." Goku pointed out.

"Yeah, I was just joking." he sighed.

"Maybe I can talk to my dad just about going back." the boy with the messy hair threw out, sitting on his cot. Even if he wasn't required, he'd stay. His friends needed support.

Sargomel laid back. "I hate not having legs" she complained.

Goku looked to her. "Is anything different other than not being able to walk?"

"Not with my legs." the girl explained. Nightmares terrorized her, so she had a newborn fear of falling asleep. Sometimes, she would even wake up to find she had wet the bed. Sargomel hated what had been done to her with a burning passion. However, as their captain, she couldn't reveal those things. Not to them at least. Maybe Ruco…

"I can't see shit." Niuno shouted dramatically from his bed.

"Really?" Sargomel sarcastically asked, folding her arms. "Maybe you should get them checked out. I had burning in my legs, and I went the doctor only to find that my legs were gone!"

Goku admired that they could find fun in this. If it were himself, he was sure he wouldn't let it slow him down, just as they had. However, there was no way to tell.

"Good night." Goku sighed, lying down.

"Have fun sleeping." Sargomel said. "I don't want to."

"I have no idea how to fall asleep without eyes." Niuno admitted. "So I'll stay up until I just pass out."

Goku frowned, nestling into the uncomfortable hospital cot. Sleep came to him slowly.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku sat up, rubbing his eyes. No light filtered in through the drawn blinds, so he figured it was either night or early morning.

Glancing at his scouter's time display, glad he knew how to read numbers at least, he found it was pretty early in the morning.

Sunrise wasn't for two hours early. And his friends weren't up either. His male friend was snoring and his female friend looked as if she had only gotten to sleep minutes ago, judging by the violet bags under her eyes.

Goku stood up, wanting to walk around. His tail instinctively wrapped around his waist and he went to the shared bathroom.

He closed the door behind him slowly, turning on the light. Looking in the mirror, he noticed something different. There was a scar about an inch in length running horizontal across the left of his chin.

Lifting his bangs out of his hair, he observed to see if there were anymore. Another small scar was on the far end of his forehead, near his hairline. He wasn't aware that the healing tanks left scars.

He took off his tunic, scanning his toned body. Once again, the occasional small nick adorned his torso. Goku briefly wondered how they got there.

But then he focused, putting his tunic back on. He turned the faucet for cold water, splashing his face. Goku took a disposable packet from the drawer under the mirror, opening it.

The boy rubbed the pink powder on his teeth until it foamed. He spit it out, rinsing it with water.

When he looked back up at the mirror, he briefly flinched. He thought he saw something in the corner of his eye. Turning around, he found nothing but the ceramic tiled shower with a bench. Most likely for Sargomel.

Once again, he became saddened and angry. The mirror slightly cracked so he recomposed himself. Drying his face, Goku left into the room.

He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his palms. For the first time, he didn't want to leave and train. Goku wished to stay with his friends.

The boy picked his scouter up, adjusting it. He checked it for messages. Only one was in his inbox.

Ruco had sent it. As it was high priority, he spaced the letters out in order to better read them. The message merely asked for him to meet her at the Super Saiyan Fountain.

It was sent an hour ago. Goku stood up, opening the window.

"Who's up?" Niuno whispered.

"It's me." Goku whispered. "I'll be back."

Niuno nodded, sitting up. "Be quick. I can't see." he hissed.

Goku jumped out the window, flying towards the park.


	10. Chapter 10: Court

Saiya City park was a park in only name. It was simply a large clearing with red grass rather than rocks and dust.

The occasional bench or tree was scattered around the area. Goku had no clue who among the saiyans would want to set aside land for a recreational park.

Of course, it was new. Built around the artwork of the ancient saiyans, it was set aside a few years ago after the festival following the coronation.

Goku could see Ruco sitting on the edge of the fountain, nervously fidgeting with her gloves.

"Hey." he waved, strolling up.

"Oh, Goku!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay? I mean… I heard about that. I was very worried."

"Yeah." he rubbed the back of his head, looking down. "It's not me you should be worrying about."

"I know." she breathed. "His eyes…"

"But you care about me more." he surmised.

She blushed, turning away. "Yeah."

Goku sighed. He really had no idea what to do about her.

"Are you having nightmares too?" he asked in a hushed tone.

She nodded, turning back. "They even caught him."

"What did they find out about him?"

The girl snarled. "His teeth were artificial. No dental records. And he was so burned they couldn't identify him."

"We'll find out." he assured her.

"So…" she trailed. "Have you thought about what I said..? At all?"

"When I'm not thinking about what happened, that's what I think about." he admitted.

She looked at him expectantly. "So..?"

Goku sighed, thinking hard. No matter what he said, Goku could see her getting hurt.

The boy was simply too unaware of what relationships were supposed to be like. But maybe she could teach him…

So he made his decision.

"Let's court." he suggested, smirking goofily.

Ruco looked as if a big weight had been lifted off of her. She smiled back ecstatically. "R-really?"

"Sure." he nodded. "I really like you too." he lied.

The girl tore forward, hugging him. "Goku, I'm so happy… and so relieved!"

Goku felt a little remorse at partially lying to her. But, he already liked her as a friend. So, it wasn't really lying. Right?

He was surprised when she wriggled her tail onto his, locking them and taking it from around his waist. "Woah!" he said, as he shuddered in slight pleasure.

"Sorry…" she apologized, blushing. "Uh, too forward? I want to hold tails. Is that fine?"

"Sure." he smiled. "If it makes you happy."

Ruco leaned onto his shoulder, holding his arm.

Goku was starting to like the contact.

He walked, and she followed his lead. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"I have to go see Niuno. He can't see, so I need to help him around." he sighed.

Ruco unraveled their tails, opting to simply hold his hand. Goku flew toward the decently far away hospital window.

He landed inside, tapping on the tile.

The boy in the bed blindly raised his hand. "Who's there?"

"It's me." Ruco giggled.

Goku walked to his bed. "And me."

Niuno put his hand out. "Do a handsome pal a favor and help me stand in the shower. I have to pee something fierce."

Ruco sat on the free bed next to Sargomel, looking at her peacefully sleeping.

"Okay, stand up." Goku helped his blind friend up, nearly tripping over him.

"Geez." he whispered, smirking. "Who's the blind one?"

Goku shook his head at the joke. His friend was taking this well.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku and Ruco sat across from each other at the empty cafeteria. However, there was a lone obese alien man serving the food.

Ruco smiled at the boy, expectantly looking at him. "So, how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." he assured her, absentmindedly running his thumb over the scar on his jawline. "Like I said, I'm not the one we need to worry about."

"I know." she sighed. "I just don't like being around them, you know? Not anymore. They're so hurt… It makes me feel weak that they can just brush it off." Ruco admitted, frowning and looking at him expectantly.

He knew that his friends weren't over it. Sargomel had very clearly pushed everything away in denial. Goku was shocked that she felt that way. "Really?"

She blushed and spluttered. "I don't mean that I don't like being around them- I meant that I feel uncomfortable that they've gone through that, because I just can't relate."

The boy nodded. Now he could understand that she felt that way. Besides, not everyone thought the same way. He mindlessly chewed on a ration stick, looking at her.

"I have to tell you something." Goku said, frowning. "The treasures from my earth stories?"

"Yeah?" she nodded.

"They were Dragon Balls." he whispered.

She raised her eyebrows in confusion, parting her spiky bangs. "Really? They're real?"

He nodded, eyes fiercely serious. "I didn't even know they were saiyan stories until now."

"It's not just saiyan." she explained. "I'm pretty sure every planet in the galaxy has stories of wish granting spheres from a lost planet."

"Namek?" he asked.

Ruco nodded, taking a sip from her drink. "That's the story I heard as a pup. And to think the planet was really called earth the whole time? You're from that planet too? Crazy." she breathed, smiling slightly.

"You can't tell anyone." he sternly warned. "Earth could be in trouble."

The girl nodded seriously. "Of course."

"The reason I'm telling you? I think we could use them to heal Sargomel and Niuno." Goku revealed. He was certain he could trust her with this information.

"Unregistered interplanetary travel is really expensive…" she sighed. "But it might be worth it. Did you wish for anything on earth?"

"Well, we were in trouble, so Oolong wished for panties." he admitted, looking into her dark eyes.

She snorted, laughing quite loudly. "That's a waste! But funny!"

Goku sat back, looking to the ceiling in concentration. "I wonder how much it would cost to go to earth."

"Like I said, we certainly couldn't take attack balls there. But…" she frowned. "Your dad came to get you?"

"Yeah." he nodded. "What about it?"

"It's possible that the earth was… brokered." Ruco suggested, frowning expectantly.

He hadn't even considered that. Goku blanched, looking at the table. While it seemed that saiyans were moving toward a society that were simply rowdy and eager to fight, it was possible that the planet earth was destroyed before planet brokering fell out of style.

All he knew was that saiyans were sent to kill people by a person named Frieza. Then Cooler stepped up and took over control of the saiyan military, saving them only for reserves.

Goku didn't know much, but he knew planetary trade was very wrong. Even more so that earth might be destroyed.

"Hey…" he breathed. "Don't tell them about that. Even if no one's there, I'm going to earth."

"Well, to be honest, it'll be difficult. Spaceships aren't cheap, they're hard to fly, and hyperspace route maps are even harder to access." Ruco listed on her finger.

"I won't give up." he assured her.

She giggled. "Neither am I. I kind of want to fly around the galaxy anyway. Since Cooler took over, we have more freedom in career choice. If I get my pilot's license, my parents will buy me a used ship."

"Really?" he queried. "I just want to fight."

She shrugged. "My neighbor offered to sell me his RT-200 freighter."

"Which one is that?" He never could remember stuff like that.

Ruco sighed. "I could have sworn I told you all about them?" He didn't respond. "The one shaped like like a hand." she explained, holding her arm up to show.

"Oh," he nodded, chuckling in recognition. "Yeah I remember now. Couldn't put a picture to the name."

"Well, I'll be getting one." She beamed. "Hey, maybe we could travel around the universe! You could fight strong people across the stars." Ruco suggested, thinking ahead.

Goku was interested in that. However, he wasn't sure if he would still be courting her by then. Then he felt guilty about using her, which he was was essentially doing.

"Maybe." he said. "When's the soonest we can get a ship?"

"I can't get my license for a year." she defeatedly droned. "And even if we get money before then, we can't buy a ship ourselves until we turn twenty."

Goku shrugged. "We'll find a way when the day comes."

He was determined. His heart was set on it.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Sargomel gulped as the surgeon sat next to her. She was on the operating table, fully awake and a bit nervous. The angry purple of her leg stumps were exposed. She lied down.

The doctor fastened the cuffs to keep her still for the delicate procedure.

Panic and flashbacks crept upon her, but she stuffed it down.

Her friends were allowed to be there for support, and Goku and Ruco sat nearby anxiously. Niuno couldn't see, and Tarble was being groomed to be a king in the likely event of his brother being killed under Frieza.

"Alright." the doctor said. "Now, we're going to start attaching the ports. Are you ready?"

The girl laughed nervously, fidgeting slightly. "As I'll ever be."

He held a small capsule above her mouth, blue in color. "Swallow this."

She complied, looking up at him. "What was that for?"

"It's so you don't piss yourself while I'm messing with your nerve endings. Also, a stimulant, so you don't pass out." he bluntly said. "It will be very slow, and very painful. Do not. Pass out." the surgeon warned. "Or else we'll have to start all over."

He stuffed thick pieces of cloth in her mouth so she didn't shatter her teeth through the procedure.

Sargomel closed her eyes expectantly as he neared her leg with the scalpel. Goku almost couldn't bear to watch, but he held her hand for support.

"They're uneven." Ruco noted, referring to the cut of her legs.

The surgeon looked up, glaring. "I know. I'm making them even. Be quiet, or I'll kick you out and she'll have no company."

He plunged his blade into the longer thigh, carefully cutting around it.

Sargomel whimpered and squeezed their hands hard.

This would be a difficult ordeal for her.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku sat on his bed with Ruco, talking to their blind friend in a hushed tone.

"That sounds good." Niuno shrugged. "I'm down for anything, unless it requires seeing."

Ruco laughed nervously. "Yep, you sure can't see!" she awkwardly joked.

Even Goku, as oblivious as he was, recognized how uncomfortable she was. Luckily, before he could address it, their friend stirred in her bed.

"Nnnn." she moaned, rolling about.

Ruco went over to her, Goku close behind. "Sargomel? Hey, you alright?"

She nodded tiredly "Mhmm."

Goku smiled at her, relieved. "You did a good job."

Sargomel opened her eyes. "I've never been more happy to sleep in my entire life."

"Yeah." Ruco swallowed. "My hand still hurts."

The girl threw the sheets off of her body tiredly, eager to observe her new legs. When she only saw her thighs with metal caps at the end, she was slightly disappointed.

"Oh yeah." she said. "I forgot that they still had to make them. I had a dream that they made my legs out of some pink metal, and I was really upset."

"Pink isn't that bad." Ruco scoffed. "It's the best color."

"Orange." the boy smiled.

"Purple." Sargomel scoffed.

Niuno merely grumbled. "How about anything but brown? I can't see shit."

"We get it, asshole." the girl on the bed barked in a playful tone. "You don't have eyes."

"You can't walk!" he shot back, equally joking. "Leggy."

Ruco only became even more uncomfortable. Goku was glad that they were able to joke. A sign that they would recover, for sure.

However, he was worried about Old Jinjer. She couldn't bear to see her granddaughter like this, so she only locked herself in the family wing. Only for important things did she come out.

It was one of reasons they stayed.

Goku knocked on the metal port. Sargomel flinched and seethed, holding the stump. "Don't do that!" she hissed.

"Sorry!" he spluttered. "I just wanted to see how hard it was."

Niuno opened his mouth in disgust. "Phrasing." he chuckled.

Goku looked at her unsurely. "We have to go to earth."

oXo

* * *

oXo

Bardock stood opposite his son, arms crossed. They were in the small gymnasium within their home.

"Who was he?" the boy asked. Curiosity pricked at him. Goku had moved on, but he was curious as to how someone had been able to get away with thing. "Was what he did normal?"

Bardock sighed. "It's common. But, not for the reason he wanted. You believe in not wasting anything, correct?"

"I'm against needless killing." Goku asserted, unsurely standing tall.

He frowned, avoiding eye contact. "On missions, there are most often a lot of dead people. Saiyans in particular, weren't given enough to eat."

Goku was disgusted. "Not anymore?"

"No. I don't like useless slaughter. I like getting stronger and fighting strong people. Back then, fighting for Frieza was the only way. That's something we have in common." the father said, looking away.

Goku was conflicted. "But now, people fight here."

"Yes. Our bloody history is just history now." Bardock assured. "There are three kinds of saiyans. The ones who can't handle killing, those who are fine with it, and those who relish it."

The boy's sense of justice was tingling. Knowing he couldn't do much by getting angry, he decided to change the subject. "I want to go back to earth."

The man scowled in annoyance, raising an eyebrow. "Why the hell would you want to do that? Sentiment?"

Lying, Goku nodded. "Just to visit, and not now."

"Most likely that will be possible." Bardock turned around, smirking at his son. "However, you should fund it yourself. Did you know there's a competition coming up?"

He beamed, easily distracted. "Really? What kind?!"

"A baking tournament." he sarcastically drawled. "A fighting one, obviously."

"Tell me about it." Goku smiled, taking a confident face.

"Well, there's two. A junior and senior competition." he revealed. Bardock was one of the people involved in the creation of it. The story of an earth tournament intrigued him. "I'm organizing it for you, so you had better win."

The boy kept himself from exploding in excitement. "I will!" he beamed. But then his face fell. "But I can't get strong enough to win."

"I don't catch your meaning." Bardock said, cocking his head back.

"It seems like I've hit a wall, and I just can't break through it!" Goku explained, knitting his brows. He was sure that the saiyan's ability to gain strength after injury hadn't done much after the basement.&

He smirked, proud of his son. "That means you reached your limit."

"What?!" the boy exclaimed.

"...Your juvenile limit." he clarified. "I'm shocked, most pups don't even come close to it. As soon as you hit your growth spurt, you'll keep getting stronger. Just means your tiny body can't hold much more power. Don't try to force it either, or you'll hurt yourself."

"That's a relief." the boy sighed. "When do you think that'll be?"

"Could start tomorrow. Could be four years, I don't know." Bardock shrugged. "But there are signs. If you find it hard to control yourself in front of girls, make sure you tell me or- well, just tell your mother."

"Okay."

"Or aching joints, burning in your tail, stuff like that. When you do start your maturing, you're going to shoot up like a Shar tree. Regardless, it's going to hurt like hell." the man said, chuckling.

"Well, I look forward to it." he beamed. "So, when is this tournament?"

Bardock shrugged. "Committee started meeting about a week ago. It's coming up, so you should know."

"Any rules?" Goku quizzed. He was a very inquisitive boy now, and he desired to know everything he could.

...If it was about fighting, that is.

"We're working on them. I can't enter, that's the first rule." he said casually, shrugging again.

Now the boy had a lot to look forward to.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku ducked and weaved, expertly dodging his friend's attacks. Tarble careened over him while his girlfriend was completely surprised at his dodge, pausing in midair.

He charged forward, giving a swift kick to the girl's midsection. She hit the wall, slumping down and not getting up.

The prince aimed a kick at his head, but Goku turned around, slugging the other boy in the face.

Tarble impacted on the ceiling, falling down.

Goku was impressed they had gotten this far, but without their other squadmates, training just wasn't a very good workout anymore.

It wasn't as if he could get much stronger, according to his dad. Fighting was just something he needed to do. Like someone needs water or food in order to live.

"Ugh." Ruco moaned, clutching her stomach. "This is much easier with Sargomel to help."

Tarble panted, nodding. "I like fighting with you more than against you, Goku."

"I'm really not getting any stronger." he said, flexing his palm.

"Is that why you dragged us here on a Seventhday?" he huffed. "To see if you've peaked?"

Goku nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "I have."

"Congratulations!" the girl beamed, affectionately embracing him.

The boy just took it in embarrassment. He didn't understand why this was an instance she decided to be affectionate. Frankly, it was confusing to him.

Tarble sighed. "I have to go back and study in half an hour. I owe you a hangout."

So the new couple watched as he jogged away.

"Would you like to do something?" the girl asked, looking to him expectantly.

Goku sighed, pondering. Normally he would train until he could barely stand up. However, he couldn't increase. Maybe having some fun would be… well, fun.

"Did you have something in mind?" he asked, shrugging.

Ruco shrugged her shoulders in return. "Not really."

Goku considered their options. Then, he wondered if there was much to do that he used to go on earth. He decided on something, voicing his discussion.

"Fishing?" The boy was shocked that he hadn't asked about something like this before.

"You mean like the Tuffle used to do?" she queried. "That could be fun. Where could we go? Closest lake is pretty far…"

"Yeah, I think the river goes to it." he said, smiling. "Let's go."


	11. Chapter 11: Urge

Goku and Ruco walked through the red forest, close enough and tired from flying enough to take the ground. After all, it wasn't much farther.

It was if Planet Vegeta was perpetually experiencing autumn. Even the scents were of the crisp leaves. Most everything on the planet was red. As he had come to find out, only the locations built upon Tuffle ruins were barren.

Everything else was lush red forest. Some even said that this is where the saiyans first came from. Actually, Goku was unclear on his race's history.

Some accounts said they came to Vegeta when it was called Plant. Others told that Saiyans shared the planet with the Tuffle.

Regardless, only one race inhabited this planet permanently.

The boy could see the water before him. To his surprise, it was tinted red as well. The body of water was a darker shade than the sky.

Goku was shocked, as he hadn't seen water like this before. He didn't think it could appear as anything other than blue.

Looking to his right, he observed the moderately sized river. Even it was clear, occasionally murky from the dust.

"What's wrong?" the girl giggled. "Never seen water before?"

"I haven't seen it red before." Goku said breathlessly. "Why is the river clear but the lake isn't?"

Ruco didn't exactly know, but she made an educated guess. "There's so much of it that it reflects as red? It's why the sky is red, too."

It didn't make sense, but it was good enough for him. He approached the waterfront, taking his chestpiece off.

Goku stopped himself before he could fully strip. On earth, people had a nudity taboo.

However, on Vegeta, there was a clear disconnect between nudity and sexuality. It's why the showers weren't gender exclusive.

Still, it didn't seem like the right thing to do, getting naked. So he simply stayed in his undersuit.

"I haven't had fish here." he noted. "What kinds are there?"

Ruco shrugged. "Saiyans don't really eat fish."

Before moving to Vegeta, it was his favorite type of food. This was due in part that it was easily accessible on Mount Paozu.

"I love fish." he said, smiling. "I have a few tricks for catching them."

"Tell me!" she exclaimed, eager to do anything with him.

"Back on Mount Paozu, there were two things I'd do. I would either swim and catch one, or use my tail."

he explained, sizing up the lake.

She gingerly reached for her own tail. "Neither of those sound safe. We don't know what's in there."

He chuckled. "Nah, we'll be fine."

"Famous last words." she sarcastically said.

Goku flew to a small island, really a large boulder, and looked to the shore. Ruco nervously stood on the bank, expectantly looking at him.

The boy lowered the end of his tail into the water, wiggling it about.

Realizing he could use his energy senses to 'cheat', he did so. Goku smirked when he felt several living things nearing him.

Never once did it occur to him that even a gigantic spider from some alien planet could have a low power level.

Something latched onto his furry appendage, pulling hard. Before he could react, he was pulled under.

He simply was relaxed, and that is why this aquatic creature managed to get the jump on him.

Quickly, without panicking, he shot up. Waves of pain shot up him likewise, as something sickeningly scraped against the bone of his tail.

Emerging in a magnificently red display of power, water was sprayed in all directions.

Goku stopped himself abruptly, punching at the creature when it passed. The large fish flew toward the shore, tossing up red dust in retaliation.

Taking time to breathe, the boy was surprised.

The fish was unlike anything he had previously seen. It was blue with a red stripe running along its cylindrical body. Razor sharp teeth and dead eyes adorned it's face.

Clearly, the teeth were what had caused the minor damage to the last two segments of his tail. Wincing, he looked down.

Ruco was on the shore, approaching the fish.

Carefully, Goku flew down.

The creature flopped weakly, trapped by trees. It also had a dorsal fin shaped like a saiyan canine.

"Wow!" the girl said excitedly. "This is a Vuri shark!" Then she took note of his tail. "Your tail!"

He wrapped it around his waist carefully. "Ooh." he hissed. "Can you grab the kolto from my armor?"

Ruco nodded, rushing to get what he asked for. Coming back, she drew off her dirty gloves.

She uncapped the bottle poured some of it on her delicate hands.

The girl rubbed the open wounds on his tail.

Goku was surprised by his reaction to her touch. The small hairs on his limbs stood on end, and a wave of something… good came over him.

"Woah." he breathed, shuddering.

Ruco was just as confused. "Did that feel good? Well, I mean, besides the pain going away."

"Yeah." he said confusedly. "I don't understand."

She offered her tail to him. "Do it to me." Ruco was very curious.

Goku barely touched her appendage when the girl reacted.

She shuddered and her eyelids fluttered. Ruco let out a small moan. Quickly, she pinkened and covered her mouth.

"S-sorry!" Goku spluttered, completely confused.

"No!" she said, putting her hands over her eyes. "It… felt really good."

The boy was relieved. For a moment, he thought he had hurt her somehow. But then he remembered that all of his squad mates did tail training, so it was unlikely for her to have been hurt.

"Yeah. Very good." he sighed.

The girl's blush deepened. "I think this is what people who are courting do. Can you… keep doing that? Or I mean-" she stuttered, thoroughly embarrassed.

Goku decided he would do that if it made her happy. After all, she was trusting him with the most important saiyan limb. Additionally, he felt strong urges that he couldn't pinpoint. Or even understand, for that matter.

"Uh, I don't know." Goku unsurely said, rubbing the back of his head. After all, hadn't his father just warned him of this? Maybe he was starting to mature, and he felt a rush of excitement at that.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized, still very embarrassed. "I shouldn't ask weird stuff like that!"

Goku didn't even realize what had happened, for the most part. He was unfazed. "It's okay." He tried to take her mind away from embarrassment. "Let's cook this fish!"

She nodded. "That sounds good." she meekly said.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku gnawed hungrily on the bones of the fish, attempting to eat even the slightest remainder of the fish. This Vuri shark was the most delicious fish he had ever eaten.

In his opinion, that is. Ruco, in an attempt to be polite, only ate a small amount. Frankly, she was a tad disappointed in this fish. Supposedly, it was one of the best tasting fish in the galaxy.

"That was good." he said, stifling a burp. "I like this stuff."

"Glad you do." Ruco smiled, trying to ignore the bitter taste in her mouth.

He was finding it very hard to quiet his thoughts. "I'll do the tail thing again." he blurted.

Blushing, Ruco wordlessly sat in front of him, back facing him.

He grasped her tail and began to softly stroke it.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku rolled over on the cold dirt. He yawned quietly, sitting up. That was when he realized the state of undress he was in.

The teenager was fully nude, and covered in red dirt. He confusedly looked to the left, seeing Ruco lying down, just as unclothed as he was.

At first he thought nothing of it, but then he recalled the previous night. Panic pricked at his stomach. "Oops." he quietly said.

Goku had lost control and not told his parents. Really, he didn't even understand what he and Ruco had done. Just that it felt good.

However, when he thought about it, it didn't seem… right. Not as if it was wrong, it simply hadn't felt right.

As if one were to put a jigsaw puzzle together sans one piece. It simply doesn't feel right. It is mostly correct, but it isn't complete.

At least that's what he told himself.

Standing up, he tracked down his and Ruco's underclothes. He put his on and placed hers next to her.

Goku sat shirtless toward the remains of the fish, staring at the bones. The boy felt incredibly guilty. Ruco probably loved him even more now, and he felt almost nothing over friendship toward her.

It didn't seem fair to him that he was able to have fun with Ruco while his friends were in the hospital recovering. Chef had injured them in a way that revujination simply chambers couldn't fix.

He ran a hand through the messy hair on the back of his head. Never more did Goku wish he was a more social person.

Of course, the boy had no trouble getting along with people, it was understanding them that he didn't understand. He was surrounded by people that supported and loved him, but he couldn't easily comprehend their deeper plights.

Goku realized that living isolated on a mountain for the first decade or so of your life wasn't the best for him. He didn't object to roughing it, he simply wished he had done it after learning more about interaction.

Even in a crowd of people like him, he felt alone. Goku frowned as soon as he realized this, drawing his knees close to himself.

"Mm." the girl mumbled behind him. He heard her stir, mumbling on the ground.

"Morning." he said.

Goku turned, and met her gaze. Ruco's eyes went wide. "G-GOKU!" she shrieked.

He covered his ears, easing an eyebrow. That wasn't how he expected her to react.

"Ruco." he replied.

For the first time since he met her, she covered herself up with her arms. Ruco closed her eyes expectantly, for reasons he did not know.

She opened her eyes after a pregnant pause, raising her left eyebrow high. She blew her bangs out of her eyes, frowning. "You aren't mad at me?"

Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "What?" He simply didn't understand. "For what?"

Ruco looked down guiltily. "I took advantage of you. Of your kindness…" she admitted, tearing up.

Goku had no idea what she was talking about. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"The sex, Goku!" she said. "I rushed our relationship to feel good! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed.

He blinked at her, still clueless. "I don't mind. I'm mad at myself." he admitted himself. "I just lost control, I should be apologizing."

"No." Ruco sighed. "It's okay." She began to pull her underclothes on. "Oh, shoot! We should get home soon."

Goku looked to her as she hovered. "Let's talk about this later."

She nodded, waving and wordlessly blasting off. This left him to ponder.

Goku had no clue what was going on. However, he felt guilt. Ruco thought she was taking advantage of her, but quite the opposite was happening.

He sighed, pulling his gauntlets on.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku touched down in front of his yard quiet as a mouse.

Unfortunately for him, saiyan senses were superior. Raditz sat lazily on the wooden chair on their porch, smirking. He sniffed the air around his tiptoeing little brother.

"You're dead." he snickered.

Being saiyans, his parents didn't care if he was out late. However, due to recent events, it was required by his parents for him to check in periodically in order to maintain safety.

"Why?" he asked, about to open the door. When he did, he was startled by the broad figure of his father.

Bardock crossed his arms, looking down. "Been out by Megule Lake all night with Ruco, huh?"

"Yup." he said casually and honestly.

The father raised an eyebrow. He grabbed his son by the armor, dragging him to his and Gine's shared room.

His mother looked up from the bed. "Goku. You're back." she said.

"We- well, your mother was worried about you. It's only been a week since we got you back. And, Gine, you won't believe this. Smell the brat." Bardock spat, frowning.

Goku could tell his father wasn't mad, but he had never seen him in a foul mood.

Gine sniffed at the air. "Why do you smell like your friend, Ruco?"

"She's my girlfriend." he explained.

The mother pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kakarot, you had sex with her?"

Goku nodded. "I think so."

"Oh boy." the father snorted.

"You're lucky saiyan fertility rates are low." she sternly warned. "There is nothing wrong with what you did. What is wrong is how you went about it. I assume you didn't even know what you were doing?"

The boy's confused look answered her question.

"You just need to be careful. But, I'm guessing you fell prey to your instincts?" Bardock asked.

"I didn't!" he insisted. "I'm not instinctual."

Bardock narrowed his dark eyes at his son. "You're an entirely instinctual person. Even when you're fighting."

"Yes." Goku sighed after a pause, answering his father's earlier question. "But it was good."

"Spare me the details." Gine asked, rolling her eyes. "Look, Goku, you just have to be careful."

"Okay." he said confidently. "Could you teach me how to be careful?"

Gine stood up, opening a drawer in the closet. In it, she pulled a dusty memory stick. "This is a holobook." she explained. "It will teach you how to be safe. Of course, if you have any questions, you can ask me."

Goku accepted it, observing the datastick carefully. It baffled him that an entire book could be stored on something so small.

Bardock stared down at him. Maybe his son was well on his way to becoming integrated into saiyan society. He certainly held his hopes up.

The boy was still clueless.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Frantically, the boy dropped his datapad. He fumbled with his scouter, pushing buttons on it rapidly.

It rang for a few moments. "Goku?"

"Ruco!" he exclaimed panickedly. "Sex makes babies!"

"...I know." she said in a deadpanned tone.

Goku shook his head, focusing. "Well, are you pregnant?!"

"...It's too soon to tell, but probably not." Ruco explained, a little bit annoyed.

The boy sighed in relief, smiling. "Phew!" he said. "I was a bit afraid for a minute there."

"Do you not know anything about what we did?" she asked in a hurt voice.

"I do now!" Goku defended. "I'm just a slow learner when it doesn't come to fighting."

"I know…" the girl trailed off. "I want to do it again." Ruco whispered into the scouter.

Goku gulped, pulling at his collar. The book was making him nervous. "I don't know…" it just seemed like a bad idea.

"Right! I'm sorry! I have to go!" she exclaimed, hanging up.

Perhaps he would visit his friends now.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Niuno sniffed at the air. "Goku." he recognized without seeing. "And… Ruco? But she isn't here?"

"No way." Sargomel snickered. "You two banged?"

Niuno groaned. "I lose…"

"What are you talking about?" Goku asked, raising a black eyebrow.

"Sargomel and I had a bet. I bet you'd reject her." he said, crossing his arms. "So, thanks for that, Goku."

The boy didn't like being so clueless. "You guys knew she liked me?"

"Duh!" Sargomel exclaimed. "You'd have to be blin- You'd have to be stup- You'd have to be living on another planet to have not noticed. She worships the ground you walk on!"

"Huh." he said, now being able to draw that conclusion.

"...You don't really like her back, do you?" Niuno surmised, frowning.

It cut the boy deep. His silence was enough for them to figure out what happened.

"This doesn't leave this room. Ruco would be devastated. If you're going to end it, you better not hurt her." the legless captain warned. "I swear I'll send you back to earth in a wooden box, you hear me?"

Goku nodded, even more guilty. But, he noticed something to take his mind away. "What's with the red blindfold?"

Niuno smirked, cheeks pinkening. "It's a remembrance cloth. For my eyes. Speakina which, I've been practicing the energy thing."

"Good." Goku said, smiling. "And your legs?"

Sargomel rolled her eyes, sitting back. "Making them. I don't want to talk about it."

He took his hint, changing the subject. Goku was not the smartest, but he realized his captain was bottling her feelings.

Goku felt alone.


	12. Chapter 12: Ghanimo

Bardock sat in his workshop, methodically searching his brain for ideas. He was an inventor at heart, despite his power. So he tried to think of something, running a hand through his hair.

Only a small percentage of the things he thought of in his spare time were actual successes. Improved versions of scouters, the moon ball, and the ability to regrow a tail were a few of his ideas.

Recently he was having difficulty thinking of new inventions. His mind was clouded by… something.

Like he usually did, he simply thought of things that might be useful. A new armor material? Maybe a new technique? Or should he study his biology?

Actually, saiyan birth rates were low. A combination of being a warmongering race and low fertility had lead to not much saiyan population growth.

This was due in part to Tuffle meddling. During the war for Plant, fertile saiyans were purposefully targeted. This led to a population that didn't increase very often. Now that things were calm, saiyans were living longer.

Of course, conquering planets had also increased the time a saiyan actually existed due to stasis.

People were restless in not being able to exterminate races, but they were content.

Bardock noticed that food, fighting, and fucking were all common saiyan interests. If they had those three 'F's', rowdy saiyans were happy.

Now, he was no pharmacist, but he knew that some sort of way to increase fertility would be invaluable to his race. So he wrote that idea down.

Saiyans were stupid. Maybe he should start a school of some sort, or at least rally for education. Planet trading wasn't a valuable career anymore. He could see saiyans being hired muscle, or maybe investigators due to their senses, but not much else.

So he jotted that down. Even small ideas such as these were important to him. Not much free time, so he had to make it count.

He frowned, leaning back. It was funny to him, that he couldn't think of good ideas when he wanted to. When he recalled it, he actually never remembered actually being in his workshop when thinking of something.

So he sighed, standing up. He waltzed confidently into the kitchen. Opening their refrigeration unit, he pulled a bottle of water from it.

Turning around, he noticed his mate sitting boredly at their table, holding up her head with her small hands.

"What's wrong?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You okay, Gine?"

"Yeah." she sighed. "I'm just sad. About Goku." she clarified. "I still feel bad about sending him away. And he just seems so distant…"

"It's how he is." Bardock said, taking a sip of his water. "The boy is just lonely. Haven't you noticed that?"

Gine nodded, thinking. Now, it did make sense that he was simply feeling alone. "i have. Why do you think that is? I feel like such a bad mother."

He regarded her words. "Well… you can't be a bad mother if you weren't the one who raised him, right..?"

That was a bad attempt to cheer her up, as she only sank her face into her hands. "Bardock…" she moaned. "You're supposed to tell me I'm a great mother who's great."

"You're a great mother who's great." he mumbled, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Gine turned around, frowning. "Liar!"

Bardock cracked a smile, and she did likewise. He loved her, and there was no doubt in his mind.

"Just be grateful he isn't turning into Raditz." the man chided, frowning. Their eldest was a bit of a handful. Incredibly bossy, and just sometimes an irritating person, in his opinion.

"I can't believe he had his first already. We were seventeen!" Gine said, reminding him of their youth.

Bardock avoided eye contact. "Uh, your first was seventeen. I was fourteen."

She looked at him incredulously, surprised by this revelation. Gine was clearly under the wrong impression. "With who?"

He smirked. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

Gine leaned in for a peck on the cheek, but the ringing of a scouter stopped her.

"Come on…" she sighed in defeat.

Bardock pressed the answer button. "Bardock." he said in his professional tone.

A cool time he recognized immediately was on the other end. "Another assignment for you, captain."

"What is it, Lord Cooler?" he queried carefully.

"I wish for you to go alone and meet with a planet. They are the Ghanimoans of the planet Ghanimo? Perhaps you have heard of it?" said prince Cooler.

"No, sir. I'm on my way. Please send the details to my pod." Bardock requested, stepping out the door.

Cooler tutted. "I am afraid I cannot do that. You must memorize this information, as I do not want my brother to find out about them."

"Alright then." the warrior said.

"They are cloners." he revealed. "Their planet is located in a specific portion of the Shiri Labyrinth. You are to welcome them to my empire. Or destroy them, whichever is necessary. Please note that you will not be punished for their difficulty."

A map projected onto his small lense, he heard the click of Cooler hanging up as he ran toward the docks.

This was a mission he had very much interest in.

Eagerly, he jumped into his pod, programming it with a smile.

The saiyan blasted off into deep space.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Bardock tore himself from the pod, stretching. Immediately he was blasted with cold air.

It seemed as if he landed in the middle of a blizzard. Squinting, he could barely make out a lit up door. So he ran to it, discovering it was a transparent automatic entrance.

Two strange looking identical aliens stood guard on the inside of the red building. Both had elongated pale bodies, like wisps of smoke.

Both had violet eyes like an insect. They were identical, and he was excited. These guards were clones.

An even more lithe person approached from the side, arms folded behind her.

"I am impressed." she said with a whispery voice. Her pale hair flowed around her weightlessly, as if she were underwater. "Your aura is massive."

"You learned basic." Bardock noted, relieved. He took a bow, knowing that these people were very insistent on manners. "Thank you..?"

"I am Dahni Foruna." she bowed in turn. "It is an honor to meet with an emissary of the great lord Cooler. Your name..?"

"Bardock." said man nodded.

"Follow me, please." she asked in her quiet voice. " Administrator Fom Kaurino is waiting."

So he walked behind her down the red halls. They were much brighter than Vegeta.

Coming to what he assumed was a conference room, he sat across from an even taller pale being with hair shaped like horns.

"Hello." he bowed.

"There is no need to be so formal." he said in his polite tone. "I am Administrator Fom Kaurino."

"This is Bardock." Dahni said, swiftly exiting the room.

"So, you wish to apply to become a member of the Cooler Alliance?" Bardock queried.

He nodded slowly. "Yes. Imagine our surprise when after eons of existence, a deep space probe reaches our humble planet. Even more so when we discovered an entire universe of sentient life. And even after that we found there were rumors of our existence."

Bardock smiled. "Well, we would be happy to have you and access to your cloning."

He tutted. "So you are a man of science, Bardock?" he asked in a whispery tone. "My people respect higher thinking. Arts, science, and culture are what we respect above all else. Does your race have that?"

"No." he answered honestly. "I'm a saiyan. We're a species of fighters. But I respect brains, even over brawn."

"Yes, I noted your aura before you even landed. Never have I seen something so bright. It hurt my eyes at first." Fom revealed.

Bardock raised an eyebrow, something the man across him lacked. "Aura? I'm very strong if that's what you mean."

"All living things have a… life force." He blinked for the first time since Bardock had walked in. "Our eyes allow us to see that. Can you not?"

"No." he said, thoroughly intrigued.

Fom regarded him carefully. Bardock couldn't tell where he was looking. "What is that device adorning your eye?"

"It's a scouter. Communicator, and it allows me to read power levels." he recalled to him.

"Interesting… Perhaps this power level has a correlation to aura brightness? What is yours compared to mine?" asked Fom.

"I'm about one hundred thousand. You're…" he pressed a button on the device. "Forty one."

"So there is!" he exclaimed, showing emotion finally. Calming himself. "You are a prime candidate for cloning, I believe."

Bardock considered this. "Us saiyans have low fertility rates. Perhaps we could do with an alliance?"

"We Ghanimoans had a similar problem. Now we only reproduce through cloning. I am one of twenty genetic templates we produce regularly. What does your race have to offer us specifically?" Fom asked, smirking through his thin lips.

"We're the strongest race in the galaxy. I hate to make this threat, but if you don't agree to join the Cooler Alliance I have permission to destroy this entire planet. I could just take your cloning technology and reverse engineer it, most likely." Bardock said, hoping to remind him who wore the pants in this conversation.

"Fine. We wish to join your alliance." he quickly said. "Now, lets you and I talk business. I would pay very much for your genetic template."

Bardock could tell these people were selfish without trying. Surely, clones of him would be disastrous. But then the man remembered he was born with a power level of one hundred and it had taken him decades to reach his current level.

Perhaps this would be a lucrative offer. It wasn't like he wished to protect his image. His son and brother and various other relatives were identical to him.

"I have conditions." he said.

Fom pursed his lips. "Naturally."

"What are you going to use them for?" Bardock queried, frowning.

"Defense. Our military is meager compared to all others. In addition, we are fighting a war for this planet on the opposite side of the globe. These clones wouldn't be used against you, of course. We are an honest people, and when our war is over we will simply use them for security." the man casually answered.

It was just barely good enough for Bardock. He sensed no one was lying. "You can't keep their tails, I want you to shave them bald, and I want to know how to use your cloning techniques."

"Of course. In a addition, I would like to pay you a hefty sum to train them. Basic, just enough to get by." Fom requested.

"Alright." Bardock smirked. "Sounds good."

"Alright. I shall have Dahni draft a contract…"

oXo

* * *

oXo

Bardock sat in a waiting room, bored out of his mind. He had been here for hours, signing waivers and getting medical tests completed.

He had no idea cloning was so complicated. As he read through the translated instruction manual written for him, the man wasn't so sure he would be able to replicate this.

However, he wasn't known for giving up.

Scrolling through his datapad, he glanced at the live updates for his testing.

So far, everything seemed to point that he was a prime genetic donor for this army.

He had written simple instructions such as average caloric intake, tail biology, and a list of his allergies. Additionally, he wrote down a simple exercise regiment that wouldn't get them too strong.

He was sure that the Ghanimoans were most likely surprised with saiyan biology. Bardock chuckled when he imagined them scrambling to feed thousands of his clones.

The again, if they could clone organic life…

Bardock shook his head, re-reading the datapad.

Someone opened the door, and he recognized it as the administrator, Fom.

"The first clone is gestating." he announced with a thin smile.

The saiyan warrior stood up, following the administrator as he left. "Let's see him."

Fom led him to a glass tank where a small fetus was suspended in blue liquid.

A tear almost came to the man's eye. Bardock realized that this small life form was the closest thing to him in the entire universe.

"This is SCT-1." he said, referring to the clone. "Hopefully, he will be the first of his kind and not defective."

Bardock regarded the glass rank carefully. "It takes four months for a saiyan pregnancy."

"Then SCT-1 will be done in a month." he smirked. "Now, would you like me to load some cloning equipment onto your vessel?"

"My battle ball is too small." Bardock remarked, not taking his eyes off of the tiny saiyan.

Fom nodded. "Then I will procure a transport for you to take home." he said in a whispery voice. "A byproduct of our contract, free of charge."

Bardock nodded at this, observing the developing saiyan. "It's…"

"Magnificent. You must be very proud." Fom complimented.

He broke his concentration on the tank. Bardock turned around, eyeing the cloner. "I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe."

The administrator tapped away on the buttons on his wrist. "Yes, but your DNA suggests otherwise, Saiyan."

He pursed his lips, letting his tail sway freely. Now all that was left was to collect his payment, leave, and call Cooler.

"I should be going, then. Expect ambassadors or even lord Cooler himself to show up." said Bardock. "It's been nice."

"Indeed, Bardock." he nodded curtly. "You should return sometime, to see how your clones are doing." Fom suggested in his soft whispery voice.

The saiyan left, backtracking through the red hallways. When he thought about it, he hadn't seen very many Ghanimoans. Perhaps they were staying out of his way.

Bardock didn't care. He pressed a button to exit onto the docking pad, and was pleasantly surprised.

Rather than his battle ball, there was a large cargo ship, with heavy shields. Smiling, he walked toward the sleek example of the aesthetically pleasing Ghanimoan ship.

The loading ramp dropped when he neared, and inside the massive cargo hold he could see many a thing. Various machines and his battle ball were spread around, barely taking up a third of the available storage space.

A standard pilot droid with it's sleek body and singular eye saluted. "Are you ready for departure?" it buzzed.

Bardock smiled, happy that someone was finally treating him like he deserved on a mission. These Ghanimoans may have been his favorite assignment, and he didn't have to fight a single one.

"I'll transmit you the coordinates for Planet Vegeta. Get up in the cockpit. This this have a stasis chamber?" he asked, walking past the machine.

The robot merely pointed to a room beyond the cargo hold. Bardock smiled, walking toward the door.

He loved Ghanimo.

oXo

* * *

oXo

After calling Cooler, he had put himself into stasis.

Waking up, he stretched. Bardock took a look outside and saw that nighttime had fallen upon Planet Vegeta. Tiredly, he stood up, leaving the ship.

A single dock attendant stood waiting for him. "Oh, Bardock, Sir! That's a nice ship!"

"Lock this down and put the stuff in the cargo hold in my house." he tiredly ordered, placing a credit chip in the alien's hand. "If it's not all there…" Bardock yawned. "I'll kill you, yadda yadda."

The worker gulped as Bardock took off toward his domicile.

Carefully and quietly, he entered his house. Locking the door behind him, he tiptoed so as to not wake anyone.

His youngest son, Goku, was sneaking about as well, looking very guilty "Uh, hi dad."

Bardock looked at the display on his scouter. "It's three in the morning standard. You sneaking back in or out?"

Goku hung his head in shame. "Out. I just had this… urge."

"Get to bed, Kakarot." Bardock sternly warned. "Now."

The boy complied, trotting to his room.

Bardock waltzed down the hallway, into his shared bedroom. Gine seemed to be very asleep, in her nightclothes.

The man took his armor off, lying down in his spandex. His mate stirred, stifling a scream.

"Bardock. You're back." she panted. "You scared me."

"Not my intention." he assured her, nuzzling into her neck. "It's great to see you."

"You seem really happy." she whispered.

Bardock nodded. "How would you like another child?"

Gine sighed wistfully. "More than anything. Why do you ask?"

Bardock chuckled. "You're not gonna believe who I met out in space…"


	13. Chapter 13: Ethics and Soup for the Soul

Bardock motioned to the various tubes, tanks, and machines now inhabiting his workshop. "Ta-da." he said in a dry tone.

Gine frowned. "Cloning, Bardock?"

"This way, we can choose the gender." he suggested, smiling. He simply couldn't understand why she objected.

"Raising a mini-me?" she sighed. "I don't know…"

Bardock observed her with a raised eyebrow. "How do you think I feel? My brother, son, dad, grandfather, uncle, and cousin all look the same as I do. And, I did that cloning contract."

"...How does it work?" she sighed, looking at him. "I want a baby."

Bardock smirked, glad she was seeing things his way. "All I need is a DNA sample. A few hairs, maybe a tooth, tissue, and we are good for any amount of clones. Question is: what do you want?"

"How different can we make them?" Gine asked. "I don't want exact copies."

"I suppose I could add some of whoever we aren't cloning." he suggested, putting a hand on his chin. "But, they'll be pretty similar. I think the saiyans can really expand if we use this technology."

"Can we have a girl? I've always wanted to raise one." Gine reminisced. "But that could be weird, seeing her grow up to be exactly like me."

"She'll only look like you." Bardock explained. "Personality is something developed."

"I don't know if I want to go through with this." Gine said in a sad tone. "Can you give me time to think about this?"

"Of course." Bardock sighed tiredly. Personally, he couldn't see what the matter was. "I haven't even gotten it set up yet. Tell Kakarot he is under no circumstance to come in here."

Gine nodded, walking back to bed.

Bardock lost himself in tinkering. Carefully, he placed a tank onto the place, glancing at the time.

He was shocked to see that several hours had passed.

"Hey, dad!" his son shouted.

Flinching, Bardock turned around. "Didn't your mother say not to come in here?"

Goku tilted his head. "What's going on in here?"

The father sighed in annoyance, knowing there were some battles that just couldn't be won. "I'm building something. What do you need?"

"Today's my rest day." Goku said, yawning. "I thought I'd come spend some time with you."

Bardock considered this, sighing. He motioned for his son to approach. "I'm putting together a cloning rig. Don't tell your friends, or else."

"Wow!" Goku exclaimed. "Who are you cloning?"

"Probably your mother." he shrugged. "So be on the lookout for a little sister… mom?"

Saying that felt dirty.

"I only have one mom. She may have the genes, but I'll treat her like she's my actual sister." Goku smiled. "When is she coming? Four months?"

"Probably a little bit later than that." It was weird to him that he would technically be adopting a genetic replica of his mate. Maybe he would get someone else to be the donor.

It seemed likely that would be his most logical course of action. However, he couldn't think of a valid reason to ask for someone's DNA.

"Goku." he said, turning back to his work. "This is going to take a while. You might as well find something else to do. Go bug your mother, I don't think she's doing anything too crucial."

Goku pursed his lips. "I always get to annoy her. You're always out in space fighting people."

"I didn't have to fight anyone on this last assignment." he smiled fondly. "In fact, I think it was the most interesting place I've been to, and I didn't even raise my fists."

"Really?" Goku asked unsurely. "I thought your whole job was to go and kill innocent people."

Bardock subtly raised his mouth into a slight snarl. That last sentence had cut him deep, and the man didn't even know if his son realized it.

"That's not what it's always about. Sometimes it's just meeting people to make them join an alliance." Bardock turned around, pointing at his son sternly. "The universe isn't as black and white as you see it, Kakarot."

Goku frowned unsurely. "The way I see it, there are good people and bad people, y-"

"There is no such thing as a truly good or bad person, boy." the father said, raising an eyebrow. "Everything is a shade of grey, including clueless justice-seekers like you."

Goku considered his words. Even if it might have sounded selfish, he spoke up. "I like to think I'm a good person."

"Exactly." Bardock chuckled. "You think you are, and that's where you fail. There are good and bad decisions, not people. Just because someone makes good decisions, it doesn't mean that they can't be like that butcher."

Goku kept silent, looking at the ground.

"I'm sure there were plenty of people that considered that man a good person." the man spat. "My message is confusing, but think what you think. I don't care."

The boy left after this, pondering the harsh words.

Bardock was just glad he could focus.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Gine worked in their kitchen, humming a tune. The woman cooked a mean breakfast while swaying her hips.

She was trying to take her mind off of the horrors of raising yourself. In Bardock's case, the child was a physical copy, not a genetic one.

Although, the difference could only be seen through a microscope, she supposed.

Gine shook her head, wiping her brow of moisture. She had just put something into the baker and was blasted with heat. Vegeta hadn't even entered the humid season.

It surprised her, that their supposedly advanced society couldn't prevent everything becoming sticky once a year. The humid season was unbearable to her.

Personally, she liked the cold. Gine loved to crack open the windows and let a biting cold in, snuggling up under numerous fluffy blankets. She enjoyed watching snow fall late at night, the white landscape becoming a soft violet glow.

However, it didn't snow on Vegeta. There was a brief period where they had lived on Cooler's capital Planet, but it was simply too frigid for warm blooded life forms more often than not.

That was when Gine discovered her love for the cold.

Moving to the counter, she chopped vegetables. She heard her son walk in from Bardock's workshop. Cursing herself for forgetting to warn Goku, she turned around.

"Morning, Goku. How did you sleep?" she queried, smiling.

"I've been up for hours…" he said with a questioning tone, raising his eyebrow. "Its midday."

She placed a hand on her forehead. Gine then forced an awkward smile. "Sorry. My mind has been elsewhere recently."

"A clone?" Goku correctly guessed.

"Yeah." she breathed. Perhaps Bardock didn't want to keep it under wraps. "Have any plans today?"

"My plan is: no plan." said Goku. "Today's my rest day."

"Right." Gine dismissed him, going back to her chopping. "Have you seen your brother? Someone came by looking for him, so if you see Raditz, tell him."

"Alright." Goku walked through his home, on the lookout for his brother. Now, he had something to do without exertion. The boy welcomed it.

His mother had not realized it, but Goku could sense his brother not far away. In fact, he was in the neighborhood. So, he made his way to Raditz.

Goku raised an eyebrow, as his brother was leaning casually against a large brick building. The way Raditz carried himself projected one of suspicious activity. His eyes shiftily scanned for something.

Whatever it was, Goku didn't know. He called out to his brother, waving. "Hey, Raditz!"

"K-Kakarot!" Raditz said with utter shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Mom said someone was looking for you." Goku explained, looking around. "Why are you standing around an abandoned building?"

Raditz narrowed his angry eyes at the boy, taking full advantage of his above average height.

"It's not of your business, Kakarot." he seethed. "Run along."

The boy frowned unsurely. After two years, people still called him by that strange name. It absolutely confused him that Saiyans had names similar to vegetables.

"My name is Goku." he said, putting his hands on his hips.

Raditz sighed loudly, dragging his palm down his face. "Listen." he spat through grit teeth. "I don't care what your name is, just be Goku somewhere else."

He got the distinct idea his brother didn't want him to be here.

"Why do you want me to leave so much?" Goku was annoyed in turn that his brother didn't want to spend time with him. Even after a couple of years, he enjoyed making up lost time with his family.

"I'm meeting with the person who came by the house." he explained. "Go away." Raditz insisted.

"Oh." Goku said, tilting his head. "Who is it?"

Raditz began to pierce his brother with his eyes. "Nunya."

"Oh, who is-"

"Nunya business! Go away!" Raditz seethed, leaning forward to encroach upon his brother's personal space.

Goku sighed in defeat, backing away. "Fine."

The older brother let out a louder sigh, placing a hand on his forehead. He massaged his temple.

"Look." he said. "I'm sorry. It's just important that you don't mess this up for me."

"What's 'this'?" asked Goku, turning back around.

He was glad that his brother had apologized. From what he could tell, Raditz was a neurotic person. He would always overthink situations, and especially other people's impressions of him.

Not to mention how cowardly he was, always worming his way out of situations. Bardock joked that Goku would surpass his brother. The boy noticed his older brother was bothered by this, but he only bottled it away. Much like Sargomel had, he supposed.

"I'm meeting with someone important. It could be very necessary to my future, so please, go somewhere else." Raditz calmly restated.

Goku smiled at the civil rewording. "Alright. See how being nice can do wonders?"

Raditz rolled his eyes in dismissal. "Yes, yes. Can you run along now?"

The boy nodded, walking away. He waved, walking away. "See ya, Raditz!"

"Hn." he grunted, nodding.

Goku continued down the street, a tad disappointed. He wished his brother would show a little interest.

Instead of worrying, he decided he would get something to eat for lunch. Or, as the saiyans called it, midday meal.

Luckily, his favorite restaurant was close. He rounded a corner and saw it. The somehow rickety yet bulbous structure pulled a smile of familiarity to his face.

He read the sign on top. In chipped painted letters, it said "Kapusta's". This was written in traditional saiyan, and it was probably the only word he could read in that complicated guttural language.

He walked through the open doorway, taking in the smells of home cooked food. This place had the best food in his opinion, even over his mother's.

The owner, Kapusta, was known for his abilities to make simple yet delicious food. This was due in part to his background.

Kapusta was from the northern part of the planet. Isanay was a brutally cold land where nothing grew. In a place such as that, one had to make do with little. So Kapusta learned the secrets to spicing up simple foods.

Goku was glad to be able to eat here. He waved to the muscled man at the counter. "Hey, Kapusta!"

The bald man with the bushy beard frowned. "Goku" he said in a heavily accented and deep voice. "Why you have to come now? My customers here now!"

A ratlike saiyan sitting on a stool at the counter chuckled. "Come on, Kap. I don't care. It's Bardock's son."

Kapusta hardened his gaze, cashing the man at the counter to flinch. "I care. My food place."

The woman across the room sitting at a table leaned back. "You're the only one that minds him. Ya-"

"My opinion only one that matters." he said. "My restaurant."

The woman glared. "Don't interrupt me."

"Don't threaten Kapusta!" the rowdy man retorted, standing up.

Goku frowned at his race's hotheadedness. He may have shared their love for fighting, but he believed there was a time and a place. His favorite restaurant at lunchtime was neither.

"Hey!" Kapusta bellowed. "No fighting! Eat your food! In my homeland, we eat food and fight different time."

"Yeah!" Goku added. "Let's just eat!"

Both patrons sat down, glaring at each other. Goku could feel the tension in the air as they engaged in a battle of the eyes.

"Fine." Kapusta sighed. "Goku, what you want? Regular?"

He shook his head. "I'll have to get something cheaper. I'm a little bit short on cash."

The burly saiyan smirked. "Give me your money. I give you soup for that price."

"Oh, really?" Goku smiled. "Thanks!"

Kapusta turned around, grabbing his dirtied ladle. "No problems. I hear about man eater situation. Strong boy like you need my soup. It keeps strength up."

Goku's smile disappeared at the mention of the incident with the cannibal. He decided he would visit his friends after this. "That reminds me. Could I have some soup to bring to my friends?"

The dirty restaurant owner turned back around, scowling. "I see you take advantage of my kindness. You drive hard bargain, Goku."

The boy was just confused. Once again, his social unawareness was bleeding through. He accepted the container, waving. "Thanks, I owe you one!"

"You owe me ten credits." he bellowed.

The ratlike man at the counter chuckled, shaking his head.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku flew up to his friend's hospital window. Although, he stopped when he heard something peculiar. Carefully, he put his ear to the closed window.

Luckily, the blinds were closed. Goku raised an eyebrow when he heard the familiar sound of Sargomel crying.

The saiyan boy wished it wasn't familiar, but he remembered the anguished sobs from the day they went to Broly's abandoned apartment.

Goku probed outward with his energy, sensing only the girl was in the room. Careful not to break it, he lifted the window up, bringing his soup inside.

Sargomel lay on her side, facing away from him at the wall, quietly sobbing. It made him feel remorseful that no one was here today with here. Niuno was nowhere to see.

"Sargomel?" he whispered into the dark room.

The girl stopped, looking over her shoulder. "What are you doing here..?" she quietly said, rolling back over. She was clearly trying her best to eradicate all evidence of her tears.

"I brought soup from Kapusta's." he offered, smiling and holding it up.

Sargomel sniffled, sitting up slightly. "Err-, thanks."

"You were crying." Goku observed, setting the soup down and frowning. "Do… you want to talk about it?"

She glared, eyes reddened and wet. "No I wasn't, Goku."

Goku tilted his head and frowned sympathetically. "Sargomel. If you don't want to talk, just say so. Don't lie to me." said Goku, very hypocritically.

Her hard gaze slowly transformed into a pained expression. Sargomel wiped tears from her eyes, taking shaky breaths.

"It hurts." she croaked.

"What do you mean?" Goku queried softly.

She rolled over, snuggling up in her hospital blankets and facing away from him. "I'm not okay. I've been lying to you all."

"...We know." admitted Goku.

Their entire squad realized she was unhealthily bottling away her traumatized emotions. Frankly, Goku was surprised that she hadn't exploded by now. He may have been a little slow, but he recognized this.

"I just didn't want you all to worry about you. My gran does that enough." she moaned, sobbing.

Goku placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We were already worried. Please stop pushing your feelings down."

Sargomel touched his hand, crying even louder.

Goku inwardly wished that the cannibal was still alive, just so he could hurt him even half as much as he did Sargomel.

Then he pushed that away. Grandpa Gohan wouldn't want him thinking that way. Goku felt guilt at using Ruco. He hadn't ever done something like that.

Sargomel pulled him from his remorse. "Hold me again." she begged. "I need someone to hold me. My gran feels so guilty she won't even come see me." the girl sobbed.

Goku frowned. He really needed to get to earth.


	14. Chapter 14: Cold Planet One

Bardock sighed, shaking his head. It turned out that cloning was harder than he thought. So he approached his bedroom door, very irate.

When he opened the entrance to his shared bedroom, his frustration disappeared. He smirked, looking at his naked mate.

She lay on her side, fidgeting. Her tail swished around in the air. "Uh, neither of our kids are here, you know…" Gine said, throwing a hand up and avoiding eye contact.

He found it amusing when she did things such as this. Why Gine couldn't simply be straightforward, he didn't know. Although, he did enjoy her tiptoeing, so he decided to play along.

Bardock sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from her. "Oh, really? Maybe I can get some work done in the workshop."

Gine smirked, sitting up. She leaned in his ear, breathing deeply. "You know, we don't have to clone someone to make a kid."

He chuckled, leaning forward and away from her. "Really?"

Bardock felt her fingers trace his tail.

Right as he was about to turn around and have a great time, his scouter began to beep.

"Great." Gine complained at full volume. She sighed, sitting back on their bed. "I guess I'll just watch something then. There goes our night."

Bardock sighed. "Yeah. Sorry." He put the scouter to his ear. "Bardock."

"Ahh, Bardock." Cooler coolly commented. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything too important."

"No, you're fine, my lord." he said, standing up. "How can I help you?"

"I am formally inviting your squad to my father's ball. I had to send the Armored Squadron on a mission, and I am lacking a security detail." he explained in a calm tone. "Please be on the way to Cold Planet One by tomorrow at midday. Your families are welcome to come, but I must ask that they stay out of Frieza's way. He utterly despises saiyans."

Bardock nodded despite the fact he could not be seen. "Right away, Lord Cooler. I'll see you there."

There was a click and Bardock laid back on the bed, putting his head in Gine's lap.

"What was that about?" she asked, adjusting his scratchy hair off of her nether regions.

The man sighed, looking into her dark eyes. "We're going to the royal ball party thing on Cold Planet One."

Gine gasped, staring back with a smile. "Seriously? We gotta get going!"

Bardock stood up. He had no desire to go such a stuffy event. Sighing, he went to the doorway. "Track down Kakarot. I'm going to get everyone else."

The man walked out of his house in a foul mood. Right in the middle of his night with Gine, he had been called on a mission.

In an attempt to stall, the warrior decided that he would gather his comrades at their homes rather than calling them. Bardock didn't know why he wanted to waste time, but he simply did.

Firstly, he decided he would meet with the closest to him. Those people happened to be Tora, his best friend in the entire galaxy, and Borgos. The older saiyan acted sometimes like a father figure to the group because they were in their late thirties while he was about sixty.

So he approached the expensive apartment building that housed two of his squadmates. He just knew that Borgos would be upset. The last few days he had been talking about anniversary plans with his mate.

Bardock was surprised that the person he used to look up to was so similar to Gine. In regards to sentimentality, at least. Maybe when he was older he would come to appreciate time with his mate more.

Well, he did already, but he supposed that he would be more vocal. Perhaps it would come with aging.

The man flew up to the top floor apartments, skipping the stairs entirely. He knocked on the door, stepping back and crossing his arms.

Bardock raised an eyebrow when instead of the face of his best friend, he was forced to look down at a small child standing in the doorway.

"Hello? Who are you?" the child greeted confusedly.

The man regarded the saiyan child carefully. He had hair that stood up and went back into a rigid mane. He had no idea who this kid was.

"I could say the same." Bardock said. "Is… Tora here?"

"Dad is in his room with mom. They think I'm asleep." he chuckled. "Why?"

Bardock raised his other eyebrow, showing his surprise openly. The kid had just implied he was Tora and probably Fasha's. Why hadn't he heard about this?

He then picked up the distinct sounds of fornicating from another room. "I'm Bardock. Go on to bed, I just have to talk to your dad." he ordered.

The boy sighed, complying. Bardock watched as the boy walked away, into what he assumed as his bedroom.

Alone and confused, the man approached the room he could hear people in. Bardock threw open the door, not really knowing what to suspect.

Tora was on top of Fasha, staring wide-eyed at the man in the doorway.

"Fuck!" the woman panted, very frustrated. "I was so close!"

"Quit your bellyaching!" Bardock seethed. "You aren't the only ones deprived of tail today."

"Bardock!" Tora seethed. "What are you doing?!"

"You have a son?" he asked, crossing his arms. He was incredibly confused at this development. "And I didn't know?"

"Yes, his name is Zukeenee." Tora sighed, covering his lower half with a blanket.

Bardock frowned at his friends, upset that they didn't share something so important. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Fasha stood up on the bed, putting her fists on her hips. "Just because we're your friends doesn't mean we have to tell you everything. We just wanted to keep something to ourselves."

"Why?" he spluttered at his nude friends.

"Because you'd have just told Gine, and then she wouldn't have left us alone about it!" Fasha accused, jabbing a finger at the only clothed person in the room.

Bardock hardened his gaze, causing his squadmates to flinch. "What's wrong with Gine?"

"N-nothing, pal!" Tora assured. "We just know how sad she was about sending Kakarot away! I just didn't think meeting Zukeenee would matter to you."

"You're my best friend." the captain scoffed. "Of course it matters." He motioned to the strewn about clothes. "Clean yourselves up. Mission time. We're going to the Cold Cotillion thing. Meet me at the docks."

Fasha shook her head, pulling her underclothes on. Tora looked to the floor.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly.

He exited the bedroom, closing it behind him. Bardock was dumbfounded that something like this was beyond his notice.

The man noticed the boy peeking around a corner.

"Hello, Zukeenee." he greeted, folding his arms again.

The boy smiled wide. "You're so cool, mister Bardock."

"Go to bed." Bardock ordered dryly. Then he cracked a smirk. "I know."

oXo

* * *

oXo

Bardock yawned, taking a headcount. His squadmates and Panbukin's mate were on the dock. As were Gine and Goku. He motioned to the ship. "Alright, pile in everyone. There's four quarters with two beds each. Gine and I will share a room, Goku with Borgos, Panbukin and Locard, and Tora and Fasha."

"Where are we going?" yawned Goku.

Locar was a woman who was incredibly tall. Maybe even taller than Raditz. Her face constantly had a forced and unnerving smile on it. Her hair was styled upward similarly to an unbloomed flower and had streaks of grey running through it.

"To Cold Planet One!" she cheerily exclaimed. "I-"

"Let's just get on this fancy ship." Fasha grumbled, rushing in frustratedly.

Tora was simply amazed. He smiled and clapped a hand on Bardock's shoulders as everyone else went into the spacecraft.

"How much did this cost?" he asked.

Bardock chuckled. He winked at his friend. "It was free. I got it on a solo mission."

That was all Tora needed to hear in order to deduce that he shouldn't pry anymore. "Alright." he said. "So let's going. Show me this ship!"

The men smiled despite their tiredness. Bardock took the lead, walking into the expansive cargo bay. He pointed to the singular hallway down the middle.

"That's where the rooms are. Bathrooms are right there." the man pointed to the rooms on either side of the hallway. "Can you tell everyone? I'm going to the cockpit."

Tora nodded as Bardock strode to the controls. He was surprised that such a fancy ship was gifted to his friend for free.

Bardock sat down at the centermost chair, in front of a collection of buttons and switches.

"Hello." a voice buzzed from behind him, startling him. Bardock turned to see the pilot droid that he had forgotten completely about. "Where to?"

The man stood up, pointing to the star map. "Cold Planet One. Is that in the data?"

The automaton buzzed, taking a seat. "That it is, sir. We shall be there by tomorrow."

"Really?" he asked. "That's fast."

"Yes. This craft is fast. On our last voyage, I merely went the speed you programmed. I take it you wish me to speed this up?"

Bardock smirked pleasantly, nodding. "Yeah. Let's get going."

The craft lurched forward, taking to the sky. The stars stretched into white lines as the spaceship reached maximum speed.

The man decided to stand and watch for a few minutes. He decided that he wouldn't give an update until the morning.

Everyone was tired.

He went to the rooms, checking on each one. When he found the empty one, he smirked. Bardock stripped down naked and laid down on his bed much like Gine had.

Gine entered shortly, gasping. "Bardock!" She locked the door behind her and giggled. "What were you going to do if it wasn't me that entered?"

Bardock continued smirking. "I don't know. You're the only one in the universe who can make me feel stupid."

The woman approached him, giving him a sly smile. "Let's continue where we left off."

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku sat on the edge of his bed, looking to the balding saiyan. "So you don't have a mate?" He was aware that was rare, but everyone else on his father's squad had someone.

Borgos smiled fondly, reminiscing on the past. "I did."

"Sorry you lost her." he said, regretting bringing it up.

"It's fine, kid." Borgos chuckled. "She was great, though."

Goku was now curious. He laid back on his cot, closing his eyes. "Tell me about her?"

"Her name was Chobok." he sighed. "I lost her and my three squadmates in a war. Your father and the others were their replacements. That's why I'm decades older than those lot."

"Sorry, Borgos."

"It's fine." said Borgos. "Get some sleep, kid."

oXo

* * *

oXo

Bardock led his squad and their families out onto the bustling landing pad. Goku was in awe of all the people. Never once had he been anywhere but earth or Vegeta.

People of various sizes shapes, and colors all bustled about. However, the most prominent species were the Arcosian. After all, this was their home planet.

Goku noticed how varied their species was, despite their similarities. Some had horns, some had biogems, some had both, but all had thick tails and reptilian appearances.

The boy felt a lot of very powerful people on this planet. Most prominently and closest to him was a tall purple figure with white armor on his chest, wrists, and shins. Additionally, he had a blue biogem on his forehead.

Goku recognized him as Cooler, his father's boss.

Bardock and his squad gave a slight bow.

"At ease, soldiers." said Cooler, smiling pleasantly. "After all, you're only here for show. I have no practical need for bodyguards."

"Where do we need to be? Where's the head of security?" Bardock queried, switching into official mode.

Cooler pointed to the lime green arcosian to his left. "Chyl, Bardock's Elite. Bardock's Elite, Chyl. Take them to the security office and fill them in. I will take your families to their accommodations."

This left Goku, his mother, and Locar with Lord Cooler.

"Follow me." he requested, taking long strides toward the massive palace.

Goku smiled, looking around. "You're pretty strong, huh?"

"Goku!" Locar seethed. Gine froze as Cooler turned around.

Cooler smiled down at the boy. "No need to be so stuck up. I'm not Frieza. After all, I respect Bardock very much. Respect is much more precious than any bought title."

Gine bowed curtly. "Thank you, Lord Cooler."

He chuckled, turning around. "And yes, I am very strong."

"Cool." Goku breathed.

The quartet continued into the sleek icelike castle. The inside was mostly transparent and extremely lavish. The hallway was blue with innumerable doors.

This was presumably the guest wing.

He came to a stop, motioning to a red Arcosian. "I'm afraid this is where I must take my leave. He will show you to your lodgings."

Gine waved as he walked off.

Locar approached the meager looking horned person with a smile. "So, where will we be staying?"

"Right this way." he said in a meek voice.

Gine approached him as they walked forward, causing him to flinch. "Ah, no, I'm not going to hurt you. I was just going to ask if you have thermostats here. It's freezing."

The arcosian nodded rapidly. "Uh, yes."

"Why are you afraid of my mom?" Goku chuckled. "She's not even a fighter."

Locar tssked. "Don't talk to the help."

The other woman gave her a sharp glare of disapproval. Locar didn't notice.

They walked until they came to a walkway with five evenly spaced doors on either side. They were fairly far apart, leaving the size of the rooms to the imagination.

He motioned to the left side. "These are your lodgings. A servant will come to assist you later." he said, walking off.

Locar went to the furthest room. "This is our room." she said, closing it behind her.

Goku and Gine stood outside the doors.

"Which one should we pick, Goku?" she asked, looking down to her son.

"Dad likes equal things, so probably the middle one." he reasoned, regarding the sky blue doors.

Goku reached for the doorknob. Far off laughter piqued his interest. He stopped, looking back the way they came.

Five aliens in swim trunks with towels and goggles came down the hallway. The tallest had blue skin and looked like a snake.

The second tallest was almost like a saiyan, except his hair was a tuft of orange rather than black.

A purple man with horns was the middle height wise.

Next to the blue one, elbowing him, was a red person with long white hair.

Closest to the ground was a froglooking alien with four eyes.

"Shouldn't you be guarding Lord Frieza?" Gine inquired, raising an eyebrow toward them.

Captain Ginyu scowled at her. "Are you implying that Lord Frieza neeeeeds protecting?"

The woman frowned in utter confusion. "I was implying that you were brought here for a reason, and I don't think that's to splash around in the pool."

"W-well, listen 'ere, monkey!" Jeice spat, pointing his finger at her.

Goku scowled, standing in front of his mother. "Don't call us monkeys."

Recoome scoffed. "Watcha gonna do about it, little monkey boy?"

"Yeah!" Guldo blubbered. "Want a banana?"

"Yeah!" Burter cheered. "You guys… are… slow!"

All five burst into laughter. Goku fell out of his stance, utterly confused. Gine just put a hand on his a shoulder and lead him into their room.

She locked the door behind them with a click. "Sorry, Goku. Those fools were the Ginyu force."

"They're so… dumb!" he chuckled. "But strong."

"That's why Frieza keeps them around…" she murmured, setting a bag down.

"I'm bored." he complained. "Is there any fighting here?"

Gine looked at him sternly. "No. You'll just have to make do. Listen to me, Goku. We have to be on our best behaviour. This isn't Vegeta. No trouble."

He smirked goofily. "When do I ever make trouble?"

She looked at him, opening her mouth and raising a finger. "Yeah." she said, relaxing. "I guess you aren't really a troublemaker. Trouble finds you."

Goku nodded. "I'll behave. Promise."

Gine flopped onto the bed, sighing. "Good."

The boy relaxed his tail, becoming aware of it. The monkey insults didn't bother him, but he couldn't tell if they hurt his mother.

Goku wandered around the room, looking at the fine blue furniture. "I'm kind of hungry."

His mother propped herself up on the incredibly comfortable bed. "Well, let's fix that. The actual party isn't until tomorrow."

The boy sighed, coming to a screen on the wall next to the bathroom. There were two symbols on it. A pink one and a blue one.

"I think I've got it." he called from the other room. Because he was male, he tapped the blue one. Then five symbols with words underneath them appeared in their place.

"Okay, Goku."

He squinted at them. They read: mammal, fish, bird, amphibian, and reptile. Goku frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Do you want fish, birds, mammal, reptile, or amphibian?"

Gine shot up, moving him away from the screen. "No, Goku!" She remembered such an interface from their previous stays.

"Why?" he asked.

The woman blushed. "This isn't for ordering food. It's for ordering concubines."

Goku chuckled. "Whoops. So which one is food?"

Gine chuckled suit, pointing to a screen by the exit door. "Bardock and I made that mistake a few years ago. We ordered bird and a Rito in skimpy clothes showed up." she snickered.

"That's sorta sad." he said, sighing. "Are all of these people slaves?"

The mother was a tad surprised. It was a very educated assumption from him. "Yes. Most everyone not under Cooler technically is. He rules with fairness while his family does so with fear. Take a guess as to who's empire is more successful."

Goku shook his head, frowning in displeasure. He didn't like how little he could do here.

oXo

* * *

oXo

Bardock splayed his hands on the large table displaying the holographic map of the castle. "Borgos and Panbukin?"

"Hm?" the bald one grunted.

He pointed to the entrances. "You guys are guarding the north and south exits."

"Jeice and I have the east and west." Burter said with a lisp.

"No." Lord Frieza coldly called into the room, effectively killing all conversation. "I need Burter to flank me with Recoome for the ceremony…" he said in a clipped tone. "Have Guldo on guard duty."

The blue alien nodded. "Yes, lord Frieza."

Cooler rolled his eyes at his brother's insistence on having the tallest by his side. "Bardock, I have no issues with your arrangements."

Said saiyan nodded curtly.

"Ugh." Frieza scoffed. "I do not see why you insist on keep flea ridden monkeys so close to you."

"Why, Frieza? Are you afraid of a little primate?" Cooler immediately snapped back.

He narrowed his red eyes at his older brother.

"...Uh, so what about your father?" Bardock queried, breaking the silence.

"I do not see why we must go to such great lengths for security…" Frieza said with displeasure.

Cooler rolled his eyes once again at his brother's arrogant foolishness. "Because, no amount of pampering by daddy dearest can save you from a poison dart, Frieza. You may have noticed, but a significant amount of people despise your rule."

"Why don't we go to a different room, Lord Cooler?" Fasha suggested awkwardly.

He focused his crimson eyes on the woman. "An excellent suggestion, Lieutenant Fasha. Perhaps we may be more effective with less distractions."

So the group moved to the hallway. "Just do what you wish." Cooler told them.

"Milord?" Bardock queried, raising an eyebrow.

Cooler chuckled. "I am not the one to worry about. I have no enemies. While I am a fair ruler, my family utilize fear."

"...What about your family?" Tora suggested carefully.

Borgos nodded. "I saw those looks Frieza was giving you. It's possible."

The ruler chuckled. "Thank you for your concern. However, not even my father is a threat to me anymore."

The woman nodded. "So, we can just hang around?"

"Feel free." Cooler nodded. "I only expect you to show up in formal armor tomorrow during the useless parade."

Bardock smirked, saluting. "Alright. I'm going to go be with my family."

He walked off, making a beeline toward the special guest wing. After a short while, he came to the familiar rooms. Entering the one his scouter notified him of, he took sight of his family lying around. Obviously, they were bored.

"Hey, dad." Goku called muffled through a mouthful of food.

"Hey yourself." Bardock replied, moving to his mate. She pecked his cheek. "You guys bored?"

Gine scoffed. "Yeah. Just been trying to go to bed."

"Can we go swimming?" the boy queried, sitting up on the couch.

The man narrowed his brow. "There's nowhere to swim here."

"But…" Goku trailed off in confusion.

"Seriously?" Gine giggled. "Then what were the Ginyu force doing? We saw them in their swim trunks with dry cloths and everything."

"It's best not to ask what those fools get up to." Bardock dryly said. "For all we know they might've been spitting on ice hounds in their underwear."

Goku stood up and walked to the far left door of the sitting room. "I'll take this one." he yawned. "Good night."

"Night, K-Goku." the mother nodded, waving to her child.

"You still keep making that mistake." he noted, closing the door behind him.

Bardock put his chin on the crook of Gine's neck. "Don't sweat it. Want to call up that Rito chick?" he joked.

Gine stared out the window onto the violet snow covered plains. "She's probably dead anyway." she darkly guessed. Sex slaves didn't typically live past their 'prime'.

The man blankly looked to the floor. "It's sickening that something as backwards as slavery exists in such an advanced society."

She looked to him. "I agree. I almost didn't want to come. Goku shouldn't have to see this part of the universe."

"I think he's already experienced the worst." Bardock said, staring down. "That whole thing was worse than seeing any meek servant."

Gine shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. It didn't work very well. "So, let's talk about cloning."

Bardock's face lit up. "Oh yeah?"

"We can't clone me. Or-, we shouldn't." the woman assured. "What if she has my scent? Won't that be weird for you?"

He nodded compromisingly. "I suppose that would."

"So we should find someone else to clone." she said, reasoning it out.

"Who? We should look for a donor." he suggested.

Gine cupped his firm buttocks, smirking. "Give me some of your genetic material."

oXo

* * *

oXo

Goku could not get to sleep. He tossed and turned and closed his eyes, but dreams would not come.

A pit of guilt and worry tore away at his stomach. He was continually feeling remorse toward Ruco. It was an incredibly vicious cycle.

He would forget his stress, but every so often he would recall why he had felt bad. That sent him into denial.

Goku originally agreed to court Ruco because he didn't want to hurt her. Then he realized that doing so was probably hurting her. In order to quell his guilt, he was constantly telling himself that she could teach him how successfully have a romantic relationship for the future.

He just hoped she wouldn't get burned with the fire he was playing with.


	15. Chapter 15: State of the Universe

Goku woke up incredibly early. He hadn't slept much, or very well. He rubbed his aching eyes, standing up.

Quietly he tiptoed to his parent's room. Almost immediately as soon as he opened the door, he closed it. His parents were a tangled mess of naked limbs.

The boy shook his head, walking to the exit. He didn't think that leaving would be considered getting into trouble.

So he walked out, almost running into someone.

He was an arcosian who looked strikingly similar to Frieza. The only differences were that he was much shorter and had brown biogems. He lacked horns and had a chestnut shaped tip on his forehead.

At most he was a few years old.

The arcosian bowed low. "I am sorry for disturbing you!"

"That's okay. Who are you?" Goku asked, yawning.

The reptilian boy raised a brow. "You really don't know who I am?"

"Nope." he shook his head. "Should I?"

"I don't think so!" he assured him. "I'm pr- Kuriza. Just Kuriza."

"What are you doing in this part of the palace? Are you a servant?" Goku innocently asked.

"N-nope." Kuriza said. "I'm staying in that room." he turned around, pointing to the door across the hall.

"Are you related to the Ginyu Force somehow?" Goku quizzed. After all, that room is where they were staying.

"Yes." he nervously lied. "Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Because none of them are arcosian." he reasoned, raising an eyebrow. "So who's your dad?"

"Captain Ginyu." Kuriza nervously supplied. "Yours?"

"Bardock." he casually answered. Goku had a lot of difficulty ascertaining people's motives.

"Really?! I should have guessed, you look just like him!" the boy exclaimed, smiling wide.

Goku reciprocated the smirk, glad to meet someone so positive in an otherwise boring environment.

"Goku!" a familiar voice familiar to the saiyan boy seethed.

Raditz trotted down the hallway, eyes wide. When he reached the two youths, he bowed low.

"Uh, Raditz?" queried Goku, raising an eyebrow in confusion. The gesture was lost on him.

"My liege, I apologize for my brother's insolence!" he cowardly apologized.

Kuriza only seemed to become nervous. "Uh, apology accepted, monkey scum!" he unsurely declared. "Be grateful I'm in a… forgiving mood!"

Goku raised an eyebrow at this exchange. Certainly this Arcosian boy had no real power. Raditz was only fearful because he was a coward, or maybe he confused him for Frieza.

"It's time for your grandfather's state of universe address. I was sent to retrieve you by King Vegeta himself on your father's orders, of course." Raditz politely but nervously reported.

"Captain Ginyu?" Goku confusedly queried. He simply couldn't connect the dots here.

His older brother spluttered, utterly confused. "This is his royal highness Prince Kuriza, son of Prince Frieza, grandson of King Cold!"

The meek Arcosian's cheeks darkened in embarrassment. "T-that's… that's correct."

Goku beamed, his features lightening up. "Oh wow! Why didn't you say that before?"

"Because no one ever treats me like I'm normal, and I am." he said, ignoring Raditz's large presence. "I'm just not like the rest of my family. I didn't inherit my father's power."

Goku let out a chuckle. "You're still crazy strong! Several times stronger than me, in fact."

"My father's base power is five hundred thirty thousand, compared to my thirty thousand." Kuriza meekly pointed out.

His eyes went wide. "That's why I've got such a headache!" Goku exclaimed. "Everyone here is so strong!"

Kuriza shrugged unsurely, looking to the tall Raditz. "Let's go, then."

Goku began to trot behind them when they made their way down the frigid hallways. Raditz looked over his shoulder. "You had better make yourself scarce, brother. At a certain point you will be denied entry. Why don't you find Prince Tarble? I believe he is loitering around as ordered by the king."

He nodded dutifully, pressing a button on his scouter. A display lit up the screen, and he was able to see where his squadmates were. To his surprise, he and Tarble were not the only ones on this planet.

Ruco appeared as well. His first thought that it was an error of some kind, but then he recalled something. Her parents were proud patriots, so they had probably come along to attend the general ceremonies with the rest of the public.

Such a coincidence made his stomach tingle with anxiety. So he pressed the communicator function. "Goku here. Anyone else on Cold Planet One?"

Immediately, his friends responded. "Of course you're here, I'm saved!" Tarble exclaimed. "My brother told me to stay put, so I've been bored out of my mind!"

When Ruco replied, there was a distinct rumble of thousands of voices in the background. "Wow, you guys are here too?"

"We should meet up and hang around so as to not die of boredom." Tarble suggested.

"I bet you guys are in the palace." the girl moped. "Sure wi-"

"I can add you as my plus one using your scouter as confirmation!" the Prince suggested. "Make your way to the gates, and I'll send an aide to meet you! Goku, I'm in the guest wing as well. I trust you can find me?"

"Right." the boy smirked.

The girl paused. "Alright, then…"

.

* * *

.

By the time Goku arrived at the suite where his Prince was, it would seem his girlfriend had arrived as well. Both of them sat on the sofa in the lounge, watching something on the holoscreen.

Tarble waved, and the girl sprung up from her seat. She met Goku after the door had closed, embracing him casually.

"Hi guys." he greeted, breaking away from her.

Their Prince patted the cushions of the couch. "Take a seat. We're watching the processions live."

"Why don't we just go watch it ourselves?" Goku queried. "Sounds like it'd be better in person."

Ruco raised an eyebrow at him. "Because it's really loud out there."

He nodded in realization, slightly embarrassed. Saiyans didn't keep to themselves merely because of their nature. Most beings had not mastered appropriate speaking levels, leading to an immediate dislike of the nonsaiyan.

The drawback of having superhearing was being sensitive to louder sounds, not just the ability to hear whispers in perfect clarity. So, crowds were a subconscious issue to saiyans.

"Also, Lord Cooler requested that saiyans stay away from his family, because they hate us." Tarble meekly added.

By this point, all three friends were seated on the comfortable yet chilly couch. Their eyes were glued to the screen as various camera angles of the crowd were show. A man with a boring voice was prattling on about something or other.

"When's the actual speech thing gonna start?" Goku queried, putting his hands behind his head.

The Prince shrugged, glancing at the chrono. "I dunno. Pretty-"

He was interrupted as the roar of the crowd went dead silent. Now, the camera was focused on five people. Two members of the Ginyu force, and the Cold Dynasty between them.

"Wow, he's so tall." Goku whispered disbelievingly.

King Cold stepped forward, completely displaying his height contrast. He had was a full head taller than the towering Burter.

He held his arms out proudly, fully exuding an aura of smarm. "My people!" Cold shouted in his deep voice. "For far too- guhk!"

At that moment, everyone watching was hit with a wave of shock.

A small hand had shot right through the king's stomach, splattering his aquamarine blood everywhere.

A feminine cackle rang out through the area. "My apologies…"

Cold glanced backward at the offender, blood dripping from his mouth. "Frieza?" he queried in confusion, utterly betrayed.

Said Arcosian removed his hand from the gory innards of his father. The former ruler sank to the floor, completely and utterly lifeless.

Both Ginyu Force guards stood undeterred. Cooler, however, had an incredulous look of pure shock etched onto his strong featured. He did not flinch.

Frieza shook his hand disdainfully, the limb still drenched in blood.

"I must apologize to any children watching…" he said mockingly. "However, that was necessary. Now… there will be no rumors that I am my father's puppet. Now… I will take my place as rightful ruler of this universe. King Frieza!" he cackled animatedly.

The deafening roar of the crowd returned. The sheer brutality did not bother them. It was what they had just experienced that utterly baffled them.

Goku glanced slack jawed to his friends. "What the heck just happened?!"

The girl had a fearful look. "Is this bad for us, Tarble?" she begged, frightened for their future.

It was no secret that Frieza despised entire races, mostly because they were unable to be eradicated.

He shrugged noncommittally, but he was still shocked. "Guys, I have no idea. It's… no use to get freaked out over something we don't understand."

They watched on as the tyrant began speaking about things they could not comprehend.

That was until Goku's scouter began beeping frantically. He fumbled with the buttons, affixing it to his ear. "Hello?"

"You saw what just happened?" Bardock gruffly asked. When there was no answer, he grew impatient. "Kakarot!" he barked.

"I'm here, dad." he quietly said. His father's tone, combined with the way he misnamed him gave him the distinct impression of seriousness.

His father sighed heavily. "I'll take that as a yes. I'm going to need you to smash your scouter, grab your mother, and get the hell off this planet when the transmission ends."

"What?" he confusedly asked, narrowing his eyebrows. "Why would we need to do that?"

"I'm hoping it's for nothing, son. I just need you and Gine to be safe until I'm sure we'll be safe. Am I clear?" he calmly questioned.

The boy looked to his friends. "I'm here with Ruco and Tarble, what-"

"Bring them too!" he dismissed with a bark. "Just listen to me! Are we clear?"

He nodded, although his father could not see. Goku removed his scouter, crushing it in his palm.

"Those are expensive!" Tarble complained, as the high end purple models were purchased on his dime.

Goku looked at them seriously, his eyes fierce. "My dad says we have to get off-planet."

Ruco's features became fearful once more. She grasped his hand, rubbing circles with her thumb. "Goku, what's going on?"

"We can't bring our scouters, so come on." he declared, standing up.

"Woah woah woah!" Tarble exclaimed. "What about my brother? Or her parents? If we're in danger..."

"My dad said it's probably nothing. He just wants me to take my mom off of the planet." he assured them.

Ruco and Tarble looked down unsurely, before they steeled themselves in sync. The girl latched onto Goku's arm as they exited the room, leaving their scouters behind.

Everything seemed to move forward in a flash as they made their way down the empty hallways. Eventually and detachedly, they reached the room of house Bardock.

Gine sat on the couch, eyes glued to the screen depicting the ongoing speech. She was truly horrified, holding her cupped hands over her mouth.

"Mom!" the boy exclaimed.

"He's going to execute the crowd as a demonstration." she hoarsely reported.

Goku grit his teeth in anger, looking to the television. "What?! No!"

The camera was focused on Frieza. He held up a single finger. Goku's eyes went wide as energy gathered at the tyrant's fingertip.

His ability to feel energy was a curse in this situation. Frieza's attack was burning hot, like a furious star.

"Let this be a lesson to my enemies!" he cried.

Frieza flung the ball downward at the screaming crowd. Those who attempted to escape were kept in place by soldiers. It was a sea of thousands of frantic bodies. Goku shook as he felt the thousands of lives extinguish like a candle in front of a fan.

There was nothing in the universe he desired more than exacting vengeance upon the tyrant. But what could a desk fan's breeze do to cool a raging forest fire? It was especially what happened next that added fuel to the fire in his eyes.

Tarble blinked slack jawed, utterly confused. "V-Vegeta?" As much as his brother was rough on him, the young prince loved him.

Ruco burst into tears, sobbing loudly into Goku's chest. Her parents were down there, if he recalled. Goku grit his teeth with enough force to shatter human teeth. However, he was not human.

The mother put a hand to her forehead, standing up. Her tail swayed behind her frantically. "Was your father down there?! Raditz?!"

Goku shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions. "It doesn't matter now. Right now, we need to focus on getting away!"

Ruco blubbered. "But-"

"If they're dead, there's nothing we can do right now. I promised dad I'd get us to safety." he interrupted through grit teeth.

Gine inhaled deeply, exuding an aura of calm. After all, she was an adult. She realized that there was nothing useful in crying over milk that may have been spilled.

"You're right. Alright, pups, follow me." she said calmly. Goku was glad that someone leave was level headed, so he went back into the same panic that his friends were stuck in.

Gine led them through the eerily quiet hallways. The silence combined with the chilling cold created an atmosphere of unsettling fear. Nothing alive was within these halls.

They were met with the living when they exited into the snowy courtyard. It was not the main entrance, but a side one. Wind whipped at their already messy hair, and the cold bit at their uncovered skin.

The armored Arcosian held up a hand. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to go back into the castle."

Gine looked back to the frightened saiyan youths. Despite their age, they were still children. She steeled her gaze.

But before she could speak, a muscular knee connected with the guard's neck with a snapping crunch.

"Raditz!" Goku and his mother exclaimed with tandem relief.

They didn't miss the hopeless looks on Tarble and Ruco's faces.

"Is my brother alive?" Tarble queried sadly. "I order you to tell me, even if it's what I don't want to hear."

Raditz refused a hug from his mother, utterly serious. "I have no idea, my liege. My father told me to meet you, so I did. We have to get aboard the ship, now."

Gine nodded, pointing to the nearby landing pad swarming with soldiers. "I understand. We should leave."

Her trust was fully in her mate. If he had ordered this, she was certain he was certain. Bardock was an intelligent man.

That meant there was definitely trouble on the horizon.

Raditz led them as they charged toward their vehicle.

Several of the alien soldier raised their arms threateningly, in an attempt to stop them. Raditz stopped, ready to speak.

"Halt. No one is to leave the planet." the diminutive Bas ordered.

The tall saiyan scowled, very annoyed. Casually yet powerfully, he backhanded the soldier into the distance.

The only Arcosian on the platform yelped. "Stop! You've violated the law!"

Gine ducked down as a stray blast wend overheard. It most certainly would have taken her head had she not been a saiyan.

Goku and the others returned fire, making a mad dash to the ship. luckily, these guys were standard low class soldiers. Not a problem for them.

Raditz stepped onto the loading ramp, stopping and firing rosy energy blasts. "Go! Go!"

Goku watched as Tarble and his mother made it aboard. For a moment, he froze in his tracks. Some unsure part of himself caused him to stop, and he didn't know why.

Ruco doubled back, wiping her tears. "Come on! I-I can't lose you too!"

His older brother frowned at both the display of affection and their unwillingness to move. Luckily, he had hit all of the soldiers, leaving smoking wisps easily visible in the snowstorm.

Save for one.

A sharp pain shot up Goku's shoulder. He had no idea what had struck him, but it was incredibly painful and forceful. He was knocked back to the ground, reddening the snow.

"NO!" Ruco shrieked.

His vision danced and narrowed as he slipped into unconsciousness.


	16. Chapter 16: Not Out of the Woods Yet

When Goku awoke, he was utterly confused. The boy felt like a fish out of water. Literally rather than figuratively, because he was soaking wet and panting.

"Breathe." the soothing voice of his mother willed him.

So he did so, taking deep breaths. Doing so only sent pains up his left arm. "Mom?"

Her large and youthful eyes were tired looking. They had violet bags under them, a sure sign she was exhausted or stressed. Perhaps both.

"I'm here, Kakarot." she said shakily. "If you ever give me a scare like that again, I'll make you train with your father."

He knit his brows, massaging his temples. "Sorry. What did I do?" he innocently queried. The past was a blur to him.

She looked him up and down once. "It's a good thing you're sitting down…"

Sure enough, he was sitting in the nude on the bench of a rejuvenation pod. Still his memory persisted in failing him. "Why? What's wrong?"

Gine avoided eye contact with him. Her words sent a chill up his spine. "You don't remember the coup? Or when we were attacked for attempting to leave?"

His eyes went wide as he recalled everything. Goku's mind merely needed a jumpstart. "Oh geez. Is everyone alright? Did we make it safely?"

"Yes." she lied, running her slight hand over her bandaged arm. "You and your girlfriend got the worst of it."

"Ruco." he breathed, standing up. But his mother urged him back down.

"I don't know how to say this." she said, her voice cracking.

Goku slumped downward. "I can feel her energy. It's weak."

"She and your brother were pelted by the reinforcements trying to get you to safety. Unfortunately, she isn't as tough as your brother." Gine answered in a motherly tone. One designed to minimize negative feelings.

He ran his hands through his wet hair. "What happens now?" he questioned, trying to change the subject. In addition, he was genuinely curious.

"Well, your father told Raditz we need to lay low for a little while." Gine answered, attempting to keep him in the dark. "So that what we're doing."

"This must be pretty serious, then." Goku reasoned, taking his mother by surprise. "So where is everyone?"

"Tarble locked himself away, your brother is flying, and Ruco is in the tank over there." she softly said, motioning to the rejuvenation pod next to the boy's.

Sure enough, she was floating in the same way he had been moments before. Goku only felt depressed, as he felt he had caused this. "Where are we going?"

Gine's face lit up, and a slight smile pulled at her lips. "Earth."

His face lit up slightly. "Really?"

"Hopefully you can show me all those people from your stories, while we lay low. Your father will meet us there." she suggested softly. "Why don't you go check in with your brother, make sure we're going the right way."

Goku silently nodded, standing up. He pulled a spare bodysuit on, wearing everything but the gloves and armor. Eager to leave this place and shove his guilt aside, Goku exited the medbay.

Almost on autopilot, he walked the halls, only following his brother's energy. He stepped into the cockpit, gazing at the stars.

Raditz craned his neck back. "Ah, you're not dead, then."

Goku pursed his lips. "Dad's not going to meet us on earth, is he." he said quietly.

The large man sighed, rotating his chair around. He looked into his brother's fierce eyes. Mature enough, he supposed.

"Most likely, no. Father told me to get you all to safety, and keep you safe. Well, that's what I intend to do." Raditz answered dutifully.

"Thanks." he somberly said. "For telling me the truth." Goku clarified.

"Mother is soft." Raditz elaborated . "She only hides things from you, because she cares for you. Don't take it personally."

It seemed as if in this crisis, Raditz was answering the call of brotherhood. Goku was glad for this, as he hadn't particularly enjoyed their interactions in the past. Well, not very well.

Raditz swiveled around, returning to the controls. He elected to change the subject. "So, tell me about this earth place. It has no name or information in our charts, and father had to provide the coordinates."

The teenager combed his mind. "It's mostly water. The gravity is much weaker. There's lots of people."

"So you didn't carry out your mission?" Raditz queried. "All the better I suppose. Sorry for not listening to your stories. They just seemed insignificant back then."

"It's alright." he said, smiling slightly.

"No, it's not alright." Raditz snapped. "I should have been there when you were first acclimating. We're kin. We're brothers! I certainly don't want to end up like father and uncle Turles…"

"We won't." Goku assured him. He had heard plenty of stories about his delinquent uncle. Banished years ago, apparently. "How long?"

"Until we reach earth?" his brother asked, touching the screen. "Well, about three hours."

"That soon?" Goku incredulously quizzed. "This ship is fast!"

Raditz cackled triumphantly. "It sure is, but you've been in the tank for two days."

Two days? Goku slumped in defeat. He really didn't like feeling like dead weight. Especially useless dead weight.

"Wow." Goku mumbled.

"Any dangerous areas we should avoid?" Raditz questioned, still chuckling slightly.

He nodded, although his brother could not see. "The north should be really cold. Try not to land near a city either. We might cause a panic."

"Good thinking, Kakarot. I mean… Goku."

Goku rubbed the back of his head, flattered. "Well, Bulma probably wouldn't want us to get kidnapped by the government."

Raditz's blood boiled at the thought of a conquest. "They might try…"

"We aren't killing anyone." Goku immediately declared with slight hostility.

"Take a seat." he suggested. "Help me fly the ship. We have quite some time before we arrive."

Goku sat down confidently, taking in all of the controls. Raditz really had made a change.

OXooXo

Gine pointed ahead at the green and blue speck they were approaching. "That's earth, then?"

Goku nodded without turning to look at her. "I think so. I can feel most of my friends from here."

Earth was approaching fast. So fast, that Everyone save for Raditz believed them to be set to crash. Then the long haired saiyan threw a lever and they stopped.

Raditz motioned ahead to the large continent ahead of them. "That a good land mass to land on?"

"I really didn't learn much about the earth when I lived here." Goku admitted casually. "I spent a decade on one mountain, and I wasn't very educated."

"I've already talked to Tarble." Gine softly said. "He's staying to guard the ship."

"I don't think his brother is dead." Raditz muttered, starting their landing. "Vegeta ordered me to evacuate with the Prince."

"You're going to love earth food. I know I miss it." the teenager realized. Even his stomach growled.

Raditz brought their ship down in a wide valley. It just so happened that he parked under a small grove.

Immediately, something impacted on their ship's hull. The family heard the resounding clang.

Both brothers sighed, standing up. "Stay with the ship, mother. Goku and I will find out what that was, then a place to stay."

So the younger brother followed the older out into the bright sun. Everything was as green as he remembered it.

All of a sudden, a green knee hit Raditz in the side of the head. Unfazed, he and his brother looked to see his attacker.

It was some skinny winged green creature with pink patches on it where major glamour muscles would be. Raditz cocked an eyebrow. "A namekian on planet Earth?"

"My name is Harp, and I have come to kill you or bring you to my master." he hissed, baring his fangs.

Goku was simply confused. Were they on the right planet? As far as he knew, this was an alien his brother recognized.

Raditz had about three feet on this slug person. Without batting an eye, he raised his palm and gathered energy. Harp made a screeching squeal as his form was disintegrated entirely.

"Raditz!"

"He came to kill us. Not even you can justify that, brother." Raditz sharply accused. He turned around, spotting scuff marks on the ship's painted hull. "Sluggy certainly didn't do this."

"I-I did!" A strong yet cautious voice called from behind them.

Goku and Raditz whipped around to see a cat person with a khaki army uniform. He waved his paw.

Raditz raised his hand threateningly.

"No! I was just trying to kill the demon! He ambushed my camp!" the scared man cried, raising his hands in surrender.

The younger nodded at his brother. Raditz dropped his hand. "This is the planet earth, then?"

"Yeah?"

Raditz crossed his arms stubbornly. "Excellent!" he exclaimed. "Now, you're going to take us to the nearest city. Alright?"

"There isn't a city for hundreds of miles." the soldier revealed. "We've been fighting-"

The man fell to the ground, dead. His chest bleeding heavily from a silent gunshot.

Raditz and Goku watched as someone reminiscent of a saiyan slid down the nearest ridge toward them. That is, he was significant weaker, and his clothes were outfitted for survival.

"Yamcha!" Goku exclaimed, a grin coming to his face.

Raditz glanced down at his brother. "You know this human?"

The young man's face lit up at the sight of the saiyans. "Oh man, Goku! You're back!"

Said saiyan nodded, laughing and embracing his old friend. Goku was very glad to see someone familiar, as thing had just been weird up until now. "You guys miss me?"

"You have no idea!" Yamcha said seriously. His face sobered. "I honestly don't know what we would have done if you and your… da…" He looked to the taller man expectantly.

"Brother." Raditz supplied boredly.

"Brother hadn't come here." he finished.

Goku raised an eyebrow. He put a hand on his chin, pondering the cryptic words. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Yamaha looked around, slinging his laser rifle over his back. "We'd better get to the compound. Is anyone else on your ship?"

"Our mother and two others, why?" Raditz calmly quizzed. He was not worried in the slightest. What would more of those slugs do, spIll their blood on him?

"That demon was just a scout. I assure you more will come looking for us." Yamcha said seriously. "Go get them-"

"They're all saiyan warriors." Raditz reported smugly, a lopsided smile forming on his face. "I could destroy this planet if I had enough time."

The man gulped, shaking his head to clear it. "Listen, let's just go then. You've got to at least meet up with everyone."

Goku looked to him and nodded. His training demanded he assess the situation, but it seemed as if it would wait. Yamcha rushed forward, staying light on his feet as he led them.

OxOxO

Raditz and Goku quickly grew bored as they followed Yamcha. He led them through a crumbling and desiccated city. It was certainly wartorn, and a saiyan could recognize that.

He eventually came to a stop in front of an underground and heavily fortified subway entrance. Yamcha stood in front of the steel door, knocking four times.

"Brief." he said.

Immediately, the door swung open. An armed person in rags stared up at the brothers behind him. "Uh, who are they? They look like some sort of commandos…" he speculated. "Or… your family."

"If we're related, I wouldn't know." Yamcha remarked.

Raditz burst out laughing, hisface going red and his eyes tearing up. "You must be the funniest human on this rock! Pah! You, a saiyan?!"

Yamcha's face went very red with humiliation. It was only joke… Goku's brother sure was, in his opinion, a dick.

"Whatever, Yamcha." the weary guard sighed, hiding his giggles. "Just make sure they don't cause any trouble. We've all had enough."

Something struck the pavement behind them, cracking it with a crunch. They all whipped around, investigating the disturbance. Three green creatures resembling that "harp" from earlier stood there.

"I knew it, Digeri… It's the human's hiding place!" the tallest one exclaimed.

The other one opened his mouth and the guard raised his gun. Neither of those actions came to fruition as Goku and his brother flew into action.

Raditz grabbed two of them by the neck, squeezing until their sluggy heads were separated from their bodies. After all, no neck meant nothing attached your head to got body.

Purple blood splurted everywhere, drenching the saiyan Warriors. Raditz licked his lips, savoring the metallic taste. Oddly enough, it also had a hint of root vegetables in the mix.

Goku took a less savage approach, shooting a palm sized hole through his target's chest. Not only was there violet blood, but a pale yellow fluid in between the skin and muscle.

"Are these Namekians actually plant people?" Raditz queried aloud. "I thought they were slugs! I can distinctly taste chlorophyll!"

"They're demons." Yamcha told him, gulping sheepishly. What a savage approach.

"Nonsense." Raditz spat. "These are namekians! Albeit weird looking ones, but namekians nonetheless."

The guard lowered his weapon, whistling in admiration. "Yamcha, bring them on in."

Yamcha, who was still dumbfounded at the display of power, led them into the dark tunnel. As they went on, they saw all sorts of constructs made from dirty materials and rusty scrap.

It was the definition of poverty. Raditz curled his nose toward the low roof at the sight of the dirty people. The stale stink was nearly overwhelming to their saiyan senses. He had to almost always duck, due to low hanging lights and structures.

Eventually, Yamaha came to a stop. This place used to be a subway exit, and had been renovated into a larger room. It was dirty, but not exactly povertous.

The long haired human knocked on the aluminum door. "Bulma, it's me." he said enthusiastically. "I brought someone with me."

Goku's smile returned from the depression of seeing such poor conditions as he heard very familiar angry stomping.

"Yamcha!" Bulma cried angrily, flinging the door into Raditz' face.

It bent against him like a truck hitting a wall, the door conforming to the shape of his body. Raditz sighed, tearing the door off of its hinges. "This is the blue haired loudmouth from your stories?"

"Y-yes?" she gulped, eyes wide with fear.

"Look, it's Goku and his brother!" Yamcha awkwardly cheered, smiling slightly.

Bulma's eyes revealed over the large muscular man, the door he had effortlessly torn off, then to Yamcha, and then the teenager who still looked like a boy. Her mouth curled upward into huge smile.

"Goku!" she exclaimed, throwing herself at the unsuspecting saiyan. Tears filled her eyes rather quickly. "I knew you would come back!"

Goku blushed, rubbing the back of his head. He let out a chuckle in his distinctive voice. "It's good to see you too!"

"You've got no idea…" Bulma sniffled. "Things have been so bad since your dad came and abducted you into space!"

"Our father was merely retrieving him." Raditz irritatedly interrupted.

Burma scowled at him. "I don't care what your pirate dad was doing, hairball! We needed Goku here!"

Raditz harrumphed with a scowl of his own. These beings were below him, and it was irritating. "Why's that, human? Are implying your trash planet wasn't already wrecked?"

"Because of what's happened!" Bulma exclaimed. "I still remember the day we showed up at the tournament, and you weren't there."

"Tell us what happened." Goku willed her softly. "I've gotten stronger. Maybe it's better that I left."

Bul sighed, motioning for them to come in. "This is going to take a while."

"How long is a while?" Raditz irritatedly asked. "We don't have all day."

OxOxO

Hey everyone, sergeant Plopp here. I just wanted to inform you of my hiatuses, and I apologize. Go to my Tumblr, which is Sergeant-Plopp as well for information and updates.


	17. Chapter 17: Ee-arth

Bulma sat down across from the saiyans on her dirty couch. It wasn't necessarily unsanitary, they simply got the impression that everything down here was quickly cobbled together. As it stood, humanity seemed to be in very rough shape.

"Well, technically everything started before the twenty first tournament. But, the real effects didn't begin to show until after it was clear you were gone." Bulma explained. "I was very upset when Master Roshi and that Krillin friend of yours told me that your father came to retrieve you."

"I'm glad my dad came to get me." Goku assured her. He motioned to his brother. "Turns out I have a whole family." His face softened and he glanced down. "Somewhere to belong, with people like me."

Bulma smiled softly, placing a hand on his armored shoulder. "I'm happy for you, Goku, really. I know it sounds selfish, but we need you now. Please, the earth needs you to turn into a monkey or something, and save it."

Goku studied the face of regret before him. "Wait… did I turn into a great ape on our adventure?"

"The big monkey?" Bulma queried sheepishly for clarification. "Yeah, it's how we got out of Pilaf's box. Is that… normal for your race?"

"Saiyan warriors are able to transform into a great ape when our eyes are exposed to blutz waves." Raditz said boredly. "The most prominent source of these is a full moon. As long as we have our tails, we can transform."

Bulma's cerulean eyes lit up in curiosity. "Oh yeah! You guys are aliens! This is so exciting! Please-"

"Can you keep explaining what happened?" Goku asked, interrupting her.

"Right, sorry." she sighed. "Alright, I'll start at the beginning." Bulma then accurately predicted that she would have to explain even further. "The Red Ribbon Army is a terrorist military group that seemingly had one goal. They were aiming to get the Dragon Balls."

Goku opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by his brother. "Dragon Balls you say?"

"Raditz, let her tell her story." Goku said assertively. He had enough faith that such knowledge wouldn't sway his brother's intentions.

"Well, shortly after the tournament, they made their wish. If you had been here, you could have stopped them, I'm certain." Bulma continued.

Raditz pursed his lips. "What the hell did they wish for? To be turned into mutated and disgusting slug people?"

"The leader, Commander Red, wished to be taller." she explained with a scowl. "Of course, the army wasn't happy. They'd followed all of his orders, killing innocents and dying just for some stupid wish."

Raditz, truthfully, imagined the same could happen to his own people.

Bulma continued. "So there was a lot of infighting. For years, they've fought against one another, only furthering the contact. The different factions couldn't find and control all of the dragon balls at once. But then, something united them all. Just after the twenty-second tournament, a terrible evil was unleashed upon the world. King Piccolo returned and began killing martial artists. The new Commander, Black, began fighting the demon army. The whole world has just been trashed by all the conflict. Now, we have hope. Goku, you're back!" she exclaimed, gripping his shoulders.

"Well." Goku supposed with a slight smile. "I don't have anything better to do."

Bulma shot forward, embracing him tightly. "I knew you'd save us!"

OxOxO

Bardock raced to keep up with Cooler's long strides. His employer was in a foul mood considering the recent events. However, he was shocked that Lord Cooler was doing nothing!

"Lord Cooler!" he angrily spat. "I don't-"

Cooler whipped around, nearly taking the saiyan's feet out from under him. "Shut your mouth, you ingrate. You've no idea of what you're speaking of!"

Shocked, Bardock crossed his arms. Behavior like this from his employer was unheard of. Rather than lashing out at the insult like one of his less intelligent peers, he remained calm. "Sir?"

"Frieza has completely destroyed any plans I had." Cooler revealed, his face furious. "I saved your race so that I may have the strongest soldiers in the universe. Strong enough to kill Frieza. And you all would have been wrapped around my finger because of my fair treatment."

The fine hairs on the back of Bardock's neck stood on end. Cooler was a smart man, not one to just casually reveal plans and monologue. For the first time in years, Bardock felt fear for his life. His livelihood.

Cooler raised a hand and began to gather energy in the top of his finger. "You've been loyal, Bardock. I thank you for your service. However, with recent events, I've no use for neither you nor your people."

Rage built up within Bardock just as quickly as his employer's energy. Years of service, for nothing! He wouldn't stand to be carelessly tossed aside.

It was humiliating. He wished to die in battle, not murdered like some animal!

The furious saiyan grabbed the hand of the arcosian, gripping it tightly. The energy immediately dissipated almost as soon as Cooler's wrist began to crack.

"Oh, I don't think so." he uttered in a low growl. "I'm not just a tool to be discarded."

A look that could only be described as triumphant confusion slowly took over Cooler's pain. He hissed in agony before opening his mouth to speak. "I knew it."

Bardock tightened his grip, narrowing his fierce eyes. Cooler exclaimed in pain as his bones crunched. "Knew what? Talk!"

"You were the reason my brother was so afraid of saiyans." he said shakingly. "He feared you, you know. You alone nearly sealed your race's fate."

"Me? Why me?" Bardock grunted.

Cooler smirked, still quivering. "Take a look in a mirror."

OxOxO

Gine's worrying had finally been eased minutes after her sons had left with the long-haired human. Well, it was long for a human, she supposed. The clanking of projectile weapons on an alien planet was always jarring. It always took Gine a bit of adjustment on missions.

She stared up at the blue sky, and the single sun. It was a stark contrast to the red sky and twin suns of Vegeta. Gine hadn't been on a new planet in years. Frankly, this one was as beautiful as her son had described it.

Despite the lack of people in proximity to herself, she turned bright red as her stomach growled. She pursed her lips and muttered to herself. Perhaps this would be a great opportunity to try some of the beasts of earth.

So, she made the trek to the prince Tarble's cabin. Gine activated her motherly tone, rapping softly on the grey steel door. "Prince Tarble? Are you there?"

The door immediately shot open, the short prince standing in the doorway. He looked up to her neutrally. If he was upset, he was hiding it well. Even to a perceptive saiyan mother, that is.

"I'm going to go get us something to eat." she softly announced. In this moment, he was not her prince. He was a boy who had been hurt. "Could you protect the ship and Ruco while I'm gone?"

He blinked twice before nodding, not saying a word. Tarble watched as the woman stepped out of the ship.

The prince sighed, making his way to the medbay. Of all the tanks in the room, only one had someone in it. His teammate. He'd seen her hurt many times before, but this time was just different.

Everything seemed so hopeless.

Suddenly, Ruco's eyes shot open wide. Tarble moved to the tank's controls, fumbling with the buttons as the saiyan girl thrashed in the fluid.

He finally got it to work, and the healing cocktail began draining slowly. As soon as her head was above the liquid, she tore the mask off and began to gasp. "Are we alright? Goku-"

"We made it to earth, he's fine." Tarble assured her.

"Earth? We can heal the others!" Ruco tore off the nodes attached to herself, climbing out of the tank. She fell to the floor with a splash, sending droplets everywhere. The girl wiped her already eye-obscuring hair to the side, as it was as dripping wet as the rest of her.

Tarble offered her a towel and motioned to the change of clothes next to the tank she had climbed out of. She dried herself by flaring up her ki, dressing herself in record time. "Where are they? He's not here."

"Slow down." Tarble warned. "You don't want to catch your breath first?"

"Tarble, it must've been a long time since we left!" she exclaimed with a frown. "I've got to get back into the action."

"There is no action!" Tarble shouted, gripping her shoulder. "Goku and his brother went to find a safe place to say, and Gine is out hunting food."

Gine. Her parents. Ruco sank to the floor, realization striking her like one of Goku's punches. "My parents are dead." she softly remembered, tears beginning to fall from her dark eyes.

Tarble pursed his lips. "Hn… Yeah. I think we all lost someone. I'm pretty sure my brother is dead."

"But I know they are!" Ruco sobbed, lying down and curling up. "We watched it…" An aura of sorrow filled the room.

OxOxO

Goku broke away from the hug, the hairs on his tail standing up on end.

"What's wrong now?" Raditz queried in annoyance. It was always something with him.

"Something's wrong" Goku replied.

"Yes, but what?" he pressed forward, predicting the vague response.

"With Ruco." he continued, glancing in the general direction of the ship. Goku could feel it. He just didn't know what was wrong.

Raditz' indifference immediately disappeared. His concern rose. "And the ship?"

"Who's Ruco?" Bulma asked concernedly. "Will they be okay?"

The older boy sighed. "Goku is currently courting her. She was injured on the way here, so we had best go to check on her if something is wrong."

"Courting her?" Bulma muttered in confusion. Goku, dating someone? The very thought was insane to her.

Raditz' annoyance returned. Surely these humans had something similar. It was absurd at how someone so supposedly smart was so incredibly stupid looking. Her slack jawed mouth made her constantly look like a fish. "It means he's bedding her, and intending to put a child in her."

Sure enough, her jaw fell open. Bulma looked to the boy, who was now beet-red. "You? You have a girlfriend that you do things with..?" He used to be so innocent. So… clueless! Now, he had gone even farther than herself!

"It's nothing special." Raditz said, rolling his eyes. "There's no use in being flustered with taboos. Everyone does it."

Goku turned around, running through the compound as fast as he could.

Raditz stared at the stupefied girl. "I'm sure you have questions."

"You've got no idea, hairball." Bulma retorted, sitting back down. "I just can't believe Goku is an alien, even after all these years. It makes sense, looking back, but wow. You've got to tell me about your planet."

He sighed in reply. "The gravity is ten times stronger there. The sky is red, the atmosphere is dry and hot, and we have binary suns. Our race is almost entirely all fighters. My mother and two others are on our ship. No more questions. I'm going to meet them, have the scarred wimp show you to it."

OxOxO

Goku flew up the open ramp, frantically searching for Ruco's energy. Something was wrong. He didn't know what, but it was.

The boy found her in the medbay, sobbing her eyes out next to a depressed and sympathetic Tarble. Goku panted for air, catching his breath. He'd been flying much too quickly for himself.

It was impossible for him to not worry. "Ruco." he said, gaining their attention.

"Her parents…" Tarble whispered, glancing down.

Goku glanced back at him somberly, nodding. He bent down and scooped her up, closing his eyes and looking away from her. His heart ached for her, and he simply wanted her to feel better. But, he knew that was unrealistic.

Would… he hurt her like this if she knew the truth about their relationship's beginning?

As he carried her to an empty room in the crew quarters, he wrapped his tail around hers to comfort her. The boy floated onto the spartan bed, clutching her close.

She nearly immediately clung to him as the door closed. "Goku…" she sobbed. "I-"

Flinging his glove into the wall, he ran a bare hand through her messy hair. He pressed his nose to her scalp, breathing in her scent. "I am so sorry that this happened to you…"

Even after minutes, her wails did not become hoarse. Goku closed his eyes and grit his teeth as she continued. He embraced her more tightly. "I'm here for you, Ruco."

OxOxO

Gine silently stalked her prey from the trees. It was a very large looking reptile. Soon, it wouldn't look like anything. Soon, it would be dinner.

It'd only taken her a few hours to get to the opposite side of the planet. Everything here was green and pristine. Really, it was only the inhabited areas that were covered in filth and slime and soot. Even the sky was gray and seemingly angry at the people.

It was one of the things that really made her think. All of this destruction had obviously come in some form, yet the nature was thriving. That was the thing, evolution and the majesty of the planet had gone on for years before the sentient life came.

She nearly sent a thin beam through the dinosaur's skull, but something stopped her.

Across the clearing, there was someone else that dropped from the trees. Someone familiar. As soon as they had killed the reptile, Gine made herself known.

"Goku, I didn't know you had followed me." she said aloud, walking towards them.

Only, as she came closer, she found it wasn't her son. It didn't smell like him at all. While her sons were more musky, this person smelled… like dirt. In addition, their skin was not the natural tan of her husband, the pink of her youngest, or the pale of her eldest.

Their skin was almost… grey. They looked sickly. However, if their display was any indicator, they were more than capable. Oh yeah, and they were obviously saiyan.

But, "You're not my son," Gine realized, putting up her meager guard.

They narrowed their eyes. "Duh. I'm a girl." she revealed, putting her hands on her hips. At best, what she was wearing could be considered rags. Their pattern indicated they were animal skin. "I hope you don't expect me to share. Cuz I won't."

Another stranger landed between Gine and the girl. They were almost identical, but now Gine could notice subtle differences in their appearances. Upon closer inspection, the girl seemed to have hair that fell behind her, slightly below her shoulders. The boy had what appeared to be 'horns' made of hair. Two locks that shot upward where her own son and mate had them pointing downwards.

"Bibi!" he shouted. "You alright?"

"Of course I am, and so is the food." she protested, puffing out her cheeks. "She was just leaving, wasn't she?"

Gine unwrapped her tail from her waist, eliciting a gasp. "What are two saiyans doing here on earth of all places?"

The boy's hostile scowl turned into a smile. "Looking for another saiyan!"

"Yeah, but dad said he's like us. And a he." Bibi dejectedly pointed out. She sighed, laying on the ground. "Gosh dang it. We're never going to find him. Not with those Namekians running around, and certainly not with those army guys."

"Yeah, go away, lady." the boy replied, laying down as well.

The odd behavior caused the mother to raise an eyebrow. She put her hands on her hips. "What are you two doing down there? Just giving up?"

"No, we just do this when we feel bad." the boy told her matter-of-factly. "Pah…"

"May I ask why you need a specific saiyan, and maybe not myself?" Gine inquired, very confused by the situation. It's not like the possibility was completely out of the question for others to be here, the earth was just very out of the way.

"He's our cousin." Bibi replied, wiggling her limbs around on the grass. "And you are neither a boy nor our cousin."

The boy kicked his feet forward, launching himself up and looking at Gine. "Say, you haven't seen him around, have you?"

Gine tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Kakarot."


	18. Chapter 18: Crushed

Gine blanched, her jaw falling slack. "That means you're Turles' kids?"

"Got that right." the boy nodded. "My name is Boston. She's Bibi."

"So do you know where we can find him or not?" Bibi queried, propping herself up with her elbows. "You've had your mouth open like a trout since you figured out who papa is."

"What do you need this Kakarot person for?" Gine asked in return, ignoring what they said.

"Papa read a report that our cousin Kakarot was sent here." the girl said with irritation. "He sent us here to find him for help as a test for my brother and I."

"For help?"

Boston sighed irritatedly. "Lady, we don't have time to answer all your questions. We've been here a year already, and no sign of him. Dads gonna be really mad as it is. We don't need this delay…"

"Wait!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands forward. "I know where Kakarot is." Gine revealed with a smile. The twins shared her smile, relief flooding over her.

"Take us with you, " Boston ordered.

Gine shook her head, a look on her face assuring them she wasn't messing around. "I'm not going to do that just yet. You have to answer a few of my questions first."

Boston grit his teeth in protest. "Listen here,-"

"What's a few more hours to a year." Bibi pointed out, sighing and interrupting him. "Go ahead, ask away."

"Fine, yeah." he sighed. "Ask away. But, you have to take us to Kakarot!"

"I don't understand. Your father was banished from Planet Vegeta and forbidden to breed. How did he find a saiyan to have children with?" Gine queried, folding her arms.

She decided to not say mate. It was hard to forget that her relationship was as elusive as the super saiyan saiyans having flings, children, and living together were common, the unbreakable bonds of mating were not.

"He didn't." Boston bluntly said.

Gine raised an eyebrow in confusion. They had tails, after all.

Bibi sighed in annoyance, rolling her eyes. "Mama's a Brench."

"Hm." Gine mused, raising her eyebrows.

The Brench were some of the most handsome and beautiful people in the universe. In fact, their alluring nature branded them as temptresses and tempters. These two didn't seem to have any of their typical traits such as their varied skin, eye, and hair colors. All of their features were saiyan, so she doubted them.

"You don't say. Are they together still?" the woman prodded.

"Don't see why it matters to you, but yeah." Boston said in a rude tone. "She stays on the ship so dad can keep her safe. She ain't as strong as us."

"Can we go find Kakarot?"

"Not yet! I have more questions." Gine stated in a tone that left no room for discussion. The children sobered up at her motherly influence.

"G-go ahead." the girl mumbled.

"Why does your father need him?"

"Cause he's family." Boston answered. "Dad said he'd been abandoned here, and we should give him a place."

Gine could smell no deceit. "Fine, let's go."

OxOxO

Bardock tilted his head to the side, glancing at his reflection. His scowl turned into a look of shock as he grunted in surprise. "Ah!"

"You see?" Cooler asked, smiling nervously.

"What? Talk." Bardock ordered, gripping Cooler's hand more tightly. The arcosian thought it not possible, but his hand crunched further.

"Ah!" he exclaimed in pain. "My brother mentioned off-handedly to me he feared the super saiyan! It was the reason he decided to destroy you!" he spat through grit teeth. "My ancestor Chilled died to the very same, leaving a warning to future generations. There was one surviving image from their confrontation. An image that matched exactly an image of a warrior I had my eye on for the Armored Squadron."

"It was me." Bardock realized, staring at his reflection. His hair spiked upwards in flowing golden locks. Rather than their onyx color, his eyes were a glowing aquamarine. He had attained the legend, something he didn't even believe in. "But how?" This was… somehow not very special to him. Bardock stared at his palms.

"I've no clue how you managed to kill an ancestor of mine, but it was you." Cooler assured him, slowly breaking free of Bardock's grip. He massaged his hand gingerly. "I had a feeling if I allowed you to grow stronger, you would eventually realize your true potential. Now, you have. Now-"

"Now you told me your half-assed plan." Bardock interrupted, turning his head to glare at Cooler. "Except, you didn't plan this. I'm stronger than you, and now you want to control me."

Cooler's face fell as he began to back away. "I've been nothing but fair to you-"

Bardock began gathering aquamarine energy in his palm, reveling in the exhilarating power. "No, you just tried to kill me." He scowled at him, growling like an animal.

"I-"

"You used me. And you threatened my people... My friends… My family! I won't let that go!" Bardock roared, releasing the energy in Cooler's direction. The beam continued, taking out a large chunk of the castle.

When the dust and debris cleared, Cooler fell to the floor lifeless. Bardock had blown a hole in his chest.

He turned his head as he heard approaching footsteps.

OxOxO

Goku played with her hair as she silently lay in his arms. Ruco's breathing was steady, but he could tell she was awake.

"I've… got something to tell you." Goku announced, eliciting her attention.

She turned her head upwards, staring into his dark eyes. Her own were red and puffy, wet with tears. "Yeah?" she mumbled.

He bit his lip, looking down at her. Maybe it would be a good idea to tell the truth now, to ease her pain. Besides, she was already sad, right?

"I've got something to say to you." Goku began, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "Ruco… I…"

"Just say it." Ruco mumbled. "I promise I won't be mad."

Goku's brain was working on how to exactly put it. How to put it delicately, as well.

"I didn't like you back when we started dating." he admitted, swallowing hard. "I only said yes to avoid hurting you."

It took a little bit to register in the teenage girl's mind. Before he even knew what had happened, she slapped him hard enough to destroy a building, darting out of the room. His sensitive ears could barely hear her begin to burst into to tears once more, wailing with the rest of the emotion she had within her.

Goku stood up, remaining silent. "Oops."

OxOxO

Raditz calmly waltzed through the wrecked city, his arms crossed. The earthlings sure had wrecked their planet. It was almost laughable. Most of Frieza's soldiers wouldn't have been able to cause this much damage with their peashooters.

His sensitive ears detected movement. He heard the crunch of gravel, so he whipped around.

A woman in jeans and a shadowy sweater with red symbols on the shoulders stood opposite from him, at the end of a street corner. She shook her head, flipping her long mint hair over a single shoulder. As if she was a saiyan preparing for battle...

"Nice undies, hairball." she remarked, resting her thumbs in her pockets.

The insult boiled his blood, but he remained calm on the outside. He sniffed the air, coming to a conclusion. "You smell like a machine."

"Hmm, my sensors indicated you weren't of earth, but your sense of smell confirms it." she noted, nodding at him. "You're a threat to the earth and to the Red Ribbon Army."

Raditz smirked. "Red Ribbon? Sensors? So you're one of the androids terrorizing this planet, then. Just my luck. I've been awfully bored lately. It's just too bad you aren't organic."

"Why is that?" she queried, slightly taken aback.

He licked his lips. "It's been awhile since I cleansed myself. I would have loved to bathe in your blood."

"You're disgusting. That would not clean you " the android replied, curling her lips upward. "In the name of the earth, I've no choice but to destroy you. Stupid monkey." she said after a pause, analyzing his tail. If he had a weak spot in humiliation, such an insult would surely make him bite.

And he did. Raditz flew at her quickly, punching her in the head with such force that she was sent flying into a building. "Where did all that smarm go? What's wrong?! Never met a monkey this strong, you damned machine bitch?!"

The android ripped herself from the debris, crawling in the street. She turned to look at him, revealing his punch had destroyed her synthetic skin on one side of her face. Her metallic endoskeleton glared up at him.

In an instant, she was on the offensive, flailing and flurrying at him with all of her available limbs. He simply dodged and smirked, slowly backing up.

That was until the speed of her strikes increased dramatically. Near every single one made contact with the hairy man. Raditz scrambled to stop them, cursing his cockiness.

He finally flared his power outward, screaming loudly. A bright flash enveloped the area for blocks around. When it cleared, he was perched atop a street lamp.

The blast had completely disintegrated the covering of the android. Her chrome endoskeleton wavered, looking to find him.

With a precision strike, he drove his fist through the light up red circle on her stomach, shattering her from within. He quickly retracted his hand, kicking her to the ground

It was over.

Raditz sighed, looking around the city. Luckily, it seemed that this machine was the only one here.

OxOxO

Goku stood up and ceased his self-loathing as soon as he felt his mother's energy approaching. She was accompanied by two others. Maybe they were strong fighters from earth or birds or something.

He moved to the door, walking down the landing ramp. The boy barely saw Gine's boots meet the earth as he ducked under the ceiling.

What he saw caused him to stop. Raising an eyebrow, he looked to his mother. "Dad perfected that cloning stuff? When?!"

"No, Goku. I found them on my walk." she answered.

"You just found two saiyans? I thought I was this planet's infiltration baby. Am I a triplet?!"he exclaimed, running his hands through his hair.

"So you're Kakarot!" Bibi exclaimed excitedly, in almost a shriek.

Boston pumped his fist, punching the sky. "Yes! Alright! Finally!"

Goku covered his ears, frowning in displeasure. "I don't know who you are but you're not like any saiyans I've ever met… You're way too loud!"

The male charged forward, surprising Goku by picking him up. Bindi grabbed the boy's arms, jumping up and down excitedly.

"We finally found Kakarot!" they exclaimed in unison.

Bibi's eyes began to water. "We can finally leave this miserable pl-ha-neeeeeet!"

Goku hovered out of their grasp, crossing his arms. He raised an eyebrow. These guys were odd, and that was coming from him of all people.

He pursed his lips. "So why can you go home?"

"Oh, right!" Boston said as he remembered. Both he and his sister bowed low. "I'm Boston, and this is my twin sister Bibi."

"Our dad sent us here to get you, because you're our cousin!" the girl exclaimed. "And now we can finally go back to the Crusher!"

"Wait, what?!" Goku cried. "I've got more relatives?! I though Grandma Karot was bad enough! Who's-" a thought struck him. "My dad's brother is your dad. Turtles."

"That's right." Boston nodded. "Now, let's get home."

"Ah, I'm sorry I can't go with you. I've got to become stronger and beat everyone who threatens this planet." Goku answered truthfully, rubbing the back of his head. "Besides, I've got my family. My mom, brother, and- uh, friends are here too."

The twins fell into fighting positions, glaring up at him. "We've spent two years looking for you, Kakarot. We are not leaving without you!" Boston growled.

"I'm sorry to disappoint. Whether or not I go with you, I've got stuff to do on this planet still. You two aren't gonna beat me," Goku warned.

Their fight was a quick one. He batted both of them into the ground as perfectly as a professional baseball player, standing on their backs. He grasped their tails firmly. "Come on, guys. Even if your dad is the black sheep of the family, I don't want to hurt you!"

"Agh! Fuck you!" the boy screamed.

Goku pursed his lips, looking at them sadly. "Sorry, you just found me at a really bad time. I'm not really feelin up to sorting this out."

Gine offered her son a concerned glance. "You alright?"

He shook his head, casting his gaze to the ground. "Let's not talk about that. For now, let's work on fixing the earth."

"We'll wait! We'll wait!" Bibi frantically cried. At this, Goku gave them a sympathetic look. Someone being rough with your tail didn't feel very good. Gentle, on the other hand…

"Alright, as soon as I'm finished with this," he said, vaguely motioning to the planet. "we can talk about your dad. That sound good?" Goku let go of their tails.

Speaking of tails, the fine hairs on the one wrapped around his waste bristled, standing on end. Goku brought his palms up, blocking two strikes from his cousins.

"What?!" Boston and Bibi cried in near sync. They then decided it was a fantastic idea to attack once more. Goku's smile dropped almost as instantaneously as his block.

Boston backed up and ran a hand through his thick hair. "Y- What?! You were born with a power level of TWO!"

"Trying to attack me after I let you go sure is one heck of a way to get me to come with you," Goku remarked, placing his hands on his hips. "Also, power levels can be changed, pretty easily in fact."

"Sorry for the surprise, Goku," Gine told him. "I figured that we may be able to help them, or the other way around. They're family, after all."

Goku eventually came to her way of thinking and nodded in agreement. They didn't know exactly how tough these opponents threatening the earth were. It was most likely they wouldn't be able to ever get a proper gauge on them. Raring to go as he was, he wouldn't pull a stupid move and die just for a fight. Goku valued honorable fighters, and he didn't believe a robot would have any shred of honor.

Raditz landed with a thump, sending dirt in all directions. Having effectively killed all conversation, the tall saiyan glanced around. "Huh? Father perfected the cloning technique..?"

"That was my first thought!" Goku exclaimed.

He narrowed his eyes. "Someone explain."

"They're your cousins," Gine told him. "I found them while hunting," her eyes went wide as she snapped her fingers. "Shoot! We forgot that lizard."

"They're all over the planet," Bibi remarked. "So who's this tall guy?"

"She just said he was our cousin. Didn't dad said he was Raditz?" Boston quested aloud. "Oh, and she's Gine."

"Yeah, and he's Kakarot but also Goku for some reason, and dad's brother is Bardock, I get it. Can we go clean up the planet or something?" the female twin suggested.

Boston nodded. "Yeah, the sooner we do your stupid stuff, the sooner we can take you to dad!"

Raditz glared at them fiercely, folding his arms. The twins blanched visibly, heads of sweat gathering on their brows. It didn't seem as if their reaction was one of being intimidated, but one of expectant fear. Raditz tucked that thought away.

"Turles is your father? I'm afraid no brother of mine will be accompanying you anywhere near him," he threatened. "Your father is a dangerous pirate. You're a fool if you think we'd just hand him over."

Goku felt inclined to jokingly thank his brother for loving him, but decided against it. Boston and Bibi's expressions went through a range of emotions, varying from pure rage to annoyance.

"You're kidding me! Agh!" Boston exclaimed, throwing his arms out. "Dad's not a jerk. You're the jerk for wasting our time!"

Bibi sighed in frustration. "We've been here for so long! We don't even know what dad wants him for!"

"Well that's too bad." Raditz sternly told them. "You should run from your father while you can."

"No, he's our dad," the girl shot back proudly.

Boston glanced at her, nodding. "I don't know where you got your stupid biases. Probably your dumb dad."

"Alright!" Gine shouted, capturing everyone's attention. She was tired of watching this shouting match. "Listen, that's enough arguing. It's getting late, and I bet you're all pretty hungry. We're going to gather everyone and eat, and then we're going to sleep on this all. Okay?"

Boston raised an eyebrow. "But-"

"No buts!" she interrupted, bringing her motherly nature to the aggressive side. "Now, come on. Goku, can you go with Boston to find another big lizard?"

"Uh, actually, Ruco ran off," he quietly admitted. "...because of something I said."

Gine nodded knowingly, but with a pained expression. "Go on after her."

Goku nodded sadly, taking to the skies.

OxOxO

Hello, Sergeant Plopp here. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm on the lookout for an editor! Message me if interested!


	19. Chapter 19: A New Hope

Golu slumped against a tree stump, sighing in self-loathing. After being unable to locate Ruco, he had elected to just give up. If she was deliberately hiding her power level, then it was obvious to him she had no intentions of being discovered.

Perhaps he just needed time, he supposed.

Suddenly, all of the fine hairs on his body stood up on end, his tail bristling. Goku propelled himself upwards with his right arm, nearly avoiding a yellow beam.

"Yikes!" he cried, sensing outward. He almost immediately discovered his attacker.

The one responsible for the energy attack made no effort to conceal themselves. Standing a good two feet over Raditz, this blue cloaked stranger towered over most of the trees in this young forest. He pulled down the hood of his cape, revealing a green smirking face, two antenna, and two dangerously sharp ears.

"Curious. I've never seen a human with a tail…"

"Well, you still haven't, cause I'm not a human." Goku recalled that he couldn't retort the same. "You've got to be another one of those namecky-things."

"You must come from the stars as well," the man noted. "Interesting. I can sense the innate potential within you. Why not join me, and lord over this inferior species? You must realize that it is the predator's duty to rule."

Goku kept himself in the air. "I'm going to take a hard pass, sir. I like my life as it is. Besides, I'm probably not good at ruling. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to find someone, Mister…"

The unimpressed Namekian folded his arms. "Demon King Piccolo."

Goku closed his eyes, nodding absentmindedly. "Right, Mister Demon Ki-" His eyes shot open, newfound fire within them. "Piccolo? So you're the evil guy I'm supposed to kill. I don't appreciate what you or the Red Ribbon army have been doing to my home."

"Kill me?" The Demon King chuckled. "Exactly how do you plan on doing that?"

Goku focused energy into his hands. "With a little bit of-"

In the span of a few moments, Piccolo had shot forward, driving his arm through the boy's midsection, shattering his armor around the point of impact. Goku was befuddled as well as mortally wounded. He shouldn't have been able to do that, Piccolo's power was much weaker than his.

"Oh…"

Then again, Goku supposed as his attacker dropped his lifeless body to the grassy ground, even he could move his power up and down. Pale moonlight was the only thing on Goku's mind as he drifted away from the land of the conscious.

"A pity you chose incorrectly. We could've done great things together, monkey boy."

OxOxO

Raditz was utterly and undeniably bored. As he leaned against the largest tree in the small valley, keeping watch, there were two things he cursed.

The first was of course, being the so-called 'man of the house'. Raditz' most notable trait was of course, his extreme caution. While beneficial to avoiding conflict, such a nature was almost no good in an actual conflict. Sure, that robot had been easy to destroy, but there was a sinking feeling deep in his gut pertaining this planet.

The second, and of course, not nearly as stressful was how flammable this water-covered planet was. He was tired and cold, something that was only perpetuated by the dying flames of the campfire. His mother had insisted on him assuring its' eventual death.

He sighed, closing his eyes. That was when he heard a twig snap from close by. Raditz took to the sky, charging pink energy as his eyes darted every which way. Luckily, he found the source nearly immediately. The scarred man who resembled a saiyan and the blue haired woman were sliding down the eastern hill toward the ship.

"I could've destroyed you right then. My brother wouldn't like that, so announce your presence in a less threatening manner," Raditz grumpily said, floating down to the ground and crossing his arms.

"It's important to sneak around in these times," Bulma explained, approaching the ship. "I'm sure you'd understand the importance of stealth, mister intergalactic stripper."

Raditz' brow twitched. "I am not a harlot! This is the standard uniform of the Planetary Trade Organization!"

Yamcha snickered. "Strike a nerve, hairball?"

Before either of the humans could draw a breath, Raditz stood directly in front of them. "It's best to stop the nicknames now, before I stop your breathing."

Bulma scoffed. "Jeez, lighten up."

Lights came on within the ship, bathing the loading ramp in a warm orange. Gine came walking down, her arms tucked within the folds of her pajamas. "What is with all the loud death threats? Did you somehow not catch how hyperactive your cousins are?"

"Kaka- Goku's Earth friends have showed up, mother."

Bulma and Yamcha's jaws nearly dropped to the floor. "What?" The girl cried. "You're Goku's Mom? But you're so… normal!"

Gine's cheeks warmed. "My son and I are both oddities among Saiyans. You must be Bulma? And you're Yamcha. I'd like to extend my gratitude to the both of you for taking care of him."

"It was nothing. Er- do you mind if I take a look at your spaceship?" Bulma quizzed.

Gine cracked a smile. "I can see why you and my son got along so well. You both have one-track minds. Sure, come in, as long as you're quiet."

Raditz followed them into the warmth of the ship.

OxOxO

Goku awoke much better than before. He was staring into the eyes of a white cat. "Uhhhhhhh, shouldn't I be dead?" He sat up on his cot, observing his bare chest. "Or at least shouldn't I be Swiss cheese?" His eyes went wider. "Oh, no. I'm dead, and everyone is left on-"

"You're still on earth," the feline purred. "You would be dead if I hadn't been keeping an eye on you since you came back to this planet."

That got Goku suspicious. He leapt off of his cot, dropping into a defensive stance. "Thanks, but that's pretty creepy."

The cat's mysterious aura was dropped as he waved his paws and staff nervously. "Hey, hey! I'm not a threat! I healed you after that girl brought you here!"

Goku relaxed somewhat, but did the opposite to his guard. "You can't be too careful, especially on a broken planet like this," he said, pain in his voice. He could barely stand seeing his beloved home in such a state.

He nodded. "I will give you that. However, I need your help to eradicate the evil threatening this world. I'm Korin, the Cat Hermit."

"Like the turtle hermit?"

"Exactly!" Korin said excitedly. "I trained your old master, Roshi. He was the first to climb up this tower and receive my training."

The saiyan put his hands on his hips, glancing around the gazebo. Sure enough, clouds surrounded them on all sides. Solid ground was quite a distance away. "Training? What kind of training?"

Korin shook his head. "Not the kind that can improve you. You're ten times stronger than I am, that's why I need your help. I think I know of a way to restore the earth's Dragon Balls."

Mouth agape, Goku shot the feline a look of concern. "The Earth's Dragon Balls are gone?"

"Yes. You see, King Piccolo used to be the same person as the creator of the Dragon Balls. Kami, the guardian of earth, cast away his impurities in physical form. Shortly after Piccolo returned, he located Kami and merged with him, rendering the Dragon Balls inert. Even if we manage to mop up everything destroying the earth, there's not a way on this planet to undo the damage," Korin told him, his tone hopeful. "However, as I listened to your brother Radish, I discovered Kami and Piccolo are aliens as well! Surely there are more Dragon Balls where they come from, right?"

"You're probably right," Goku nodded, not even attempting to hide his smile. "So if we take our spaceship to their planet, we can wish for everything to be undone! Maybe I could wish to become older so I can actually train to defeat these guys!"

Korin offered a smile. "Yes. I'll stay here and update you telepathically."

Goku gave a nod, stepping to the edge of the tower. "Okay, Kor- Wait! Have you seen someone named Ruco while you observed me? You said a girl brought me here..."

"She's on this tower. I've told her of my plans, and she wishes to stay here and do what she can to protect this world in your absence."

"Okay-"

"Wait! I admire your eagerness, but you need to slow down sometimes!" The cat cried, waddling over and handing him a large sack. "These are senzu beans. It's what I used to heal you. They restore all wounds and lost stamina, filling your belly for a ten days! Er, for a human, so actually, maybe a couple days considering your race. Use them wisely."

Goku gave a final nod, leaping off of the tower and taking to the skies. "I'll see you soon!"

OxOxO

"Raditz!"

Said saiyan nearly leapt twenty feet in the air. Raditz opened his eyes, folding his arms. "Kakarot, its early morning and I was asleep! What are you doing sneaking around?!"

"What do you know about the Namekians?" he asked quickly, his face showing one of urgency.

"That they come from the Planet Namek. Wh-"

"Do you know where it is?"

"Yes-"

Goku grabbed his brother's wrist, dragging him onto the ship. "Come on, we've got to go there!"

Raditz wrestled for control of his arm, folding but of them and shooting his brother a tired glare. "Why in the blazes would we do that? You're already finished with this mudball?"

"I'll explain in a minute to everyone. Just start the ship!" he cried, making a turn down to the cabins.

The tall saiyan muttered curses tiredly to himself as he climbed up to the cockpit. Performing the preflight checklist was on autopilot in his tired state. He entered the coordinates into the navicomputer as the ship lifted itself with hydraulic hisses and groans.

Raditz was almost taken by surprise when his mother stormed onto the bridge. "Why is Kakarot shirtless, talking about cats, balls, and Namekians?"

"Because we're going to Namek," Raditz told her. "As crazy as he is, I trust him."

"I suppose he wouldn't leave this planet in its state too easily…" she muttered, running a hand through her messy hair. "This must be pretty important."

Raditz stood up and nodded, stretching. "I'll leave us on autopilot. Let's track him down and see what this is all about."

OxOxO

Boston and Bibi, were of course, the only passengers to object to this new destination. Bulma and Yamcha were glad for the opportunity to restore their beloved home. Gine and Raditz were thankful for something to do while they laid low. Tarble was just happy to be included.

"Your cousins are pretty crazy," Tarble muttered to Goku as they sat on their room's couch.

Goku nodded. "Even I'm annoyed. But, only a little."

The prince let out a sigh. "I'm okay with it. You know, for the distraction. I like having something to do instead of worrying about my brother."

The boy placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry. Vegeta is super strong. He's the king! I'm sure he's alive."

"I've no doubt he's alive, Goku…" Tarble muttered. "It's his wellbeing that's my concern."

Goku stood up, tail swishing behind him and placing his arms behind his head. "Well, like you said, let's do something so ya don't worry. As annoying as they are, it's undeniable my cousins are far from boring."

Tarble merely nodded in response, standing up. Goku could tell by both his posture and his limp tail, Tarble's mind was elsewhere. He was determined to cheer his friend up. At the very least, he wanted to spend time with his only present friend.

As the twins were only a room across, they made it there quickly. Goku felt it would be more interesting to simply barge in, so he forewent knocking. "Stop!" he cried.

"What are you two doing?!" Tarble screeched, gripping his hair tightly.

Boston and Bibi climbed down from the viewport, ceasing all attempts to pry open the transparent thing. "Absolutely nothing."

"I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but even I know it's not a good idea to open a window during faster than light travel!" Goku exclaimed, throwing his arms out. "I thought that I was the impatient one. Geez!"

"We don't have to help you with this Namek stuff," Boston argued, pointing his finger in Goku's face.

Bibi took his side, her hands on her hips. "Yeah, you're lucky to have our help. You'd better come with us after this stupid stuff, or I'll be sooooo mad."

Goku rolled his eyes. "Listen, I need you two to stay around the ship when we get there. I don't think it's a good idea to put all our eggs in one basket."

Tarble considered this, nodding. "Yeah, I guess we can leave them here with the earthlings and whoever wants to stay. I'm coming, of course."

"You don't have to stay in the ship," Goku quickly said when he saw his cousins moving to object. "you just have to keep an eye on it. Namekians are bad guys, right?"

"Not all of them," Raditz said, striding into the room. "Namekians tend to be pure good or pure evil, in my experience. The warrior class ones are absurdly strong, so it's a good thing we only ran into those… things spawned by that Piccolo guy. Now, to business. You're exactly right. Tarble and Goku will accompany me to the planet as we scout around. Everyone else stays here until we can assure it's safe. Since I'm the strongest in this ship, you'll do well to listen to me, twins."

Goku rolled back and forth on the heels of the boots of the spare battle suit he had procured shortly after takeoff. "What's Namek like?"

"Filled with Namekians? I don't know, Goku. Point is, we're approaching the system rapidly, so get ready," he muttered, leaving the room.

OxOxO

Everyone had gathered in around Raditz at the pilot seat. He despised backseat drivers, but he supposed not everyone got to see a planet from orbit as often as the squad of King Vegeta. Raditz' anxiety only built up as they approached the green planet, the presence of his passengers exacerbating it.

"Wow…" Yamcha sighed. "Thats some view! I never thought I'd be an astronaut."

"Me either. This is just… spectacular. I thought proof of life on other planets was the most exciting thing to happen this week," Bulma muttered.

Raditz rolled his eyes. "It's nothing special. It's just a pallet swap of your planet. The water is green and the land is blue."

Gine shrugged, curling up in one of the co-pilot seats and bringing a mug of tea to her lips. "It's better than just red. I hope it's safe enough to sight-see."

"Every second spent here is another life lost," Goku said.

Raditz cranes his neck to see his conflicted brother. "What makes you so certain?"

"I met Piccolo," he explained. "He's a seriously strong bad guy. Stronger than dad's boss, I think."

Gine sprayed tea all over the viewport. "Stronger than Cooler?!" she cried in confusion.

"YOU NEGLECTED TO TELL US THAT, KAKAROT!" Raditz said in a fury. "There's no way in hell we're going back to Earth!"

"If a guy's stronger than Cooler is what we're up against…" Tarble muttered.

Even the twins were frozen in fear. Such a power was on a planet with them?

"I don't get the fuss. We've got Goku. I don't care if he's as strong as a- a- a refrigerator, can't you beat him?" the blue haired girl asked.

Goku smirked. "He didn't kill me, so probably. If I can't fight harder, I just gotta fight smarter."

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Gine muttered nauseously as they entered orbit.

* * *

Hey guys, Sergeant Plopp here. Sorry for the long break, but I'm back and hoping to do a weekly schedule from here on out. I hope to remaster the earlier chapters so look out!

Still looking for an editor, so, if you're interested drop me a PM.


	20. Chapter 20: Red God on the Green Planet

"Is it safe to breathe out there?" Bulma asked.

Everyone was crowded in the cargo bay, waiting nervously for Raditz to drop the ramp.

"Of course it is. Even if it wasn't, we Saiyans can hold their breath for an extremely long time," Raditz proudly declared. "Goku and Tarble, come along. The lot of you back up."

Everyone did as they were asked, save for one. Bulma stepped forward, tightening her baseball cap with one hand and holding her backpack's strap in the other. "Alright then, let's go."

Yamcha spluttered. "They said it's dangerous for us to go. You're better off here."

"As much as I hate to agree with Yamcham, he's right. You're staying here."

"It's Yamcha…"

"Yeaaaah, no I'm not. You guys don't have a Dragon Radar, but I do," she said, holding out a large pocket-watch with a screen. "Even if you try to take it, I guarantee you won't be able to make it work."

Raditz looked to Goku for backup, but his little brother shrugged him off. "Fine, but I'm not carrying you. Goku and Tarble will have to. I'm not letting you make us lose daylight."

Goku suddenly steeled himself. Of all the scattered flames of life on this planet, the one closest to them suddenly exploded into a massively hot power. It wasn't quite as strong as Piccolo had been, but it caused Goku to break out into a small sweat. He didn't think he could protect them all…

"What's wrong?" Raditz asked as the ramp began to lower, natural light filtering in. "You don't want to-"

"We won't lose daylight carrying Bulma. Someone just came to meet us. Someone strong," Goku muttered. "Bulma, you have to stay here."

"Why?!"

"I- I can't protect you all! It was fine earlier when Piccolo hurt me, there was no one around! Maybe if we all teamed up-"

The flame spoke. "There's no need to fight me!" he called from outside the ship. "Grand Elder Guru has been expecting you."

Raditz led the unsure group of four outside. Sure enough, there was a Namekian standing there waiting for them. He wore a white scarf and pants, and a navy vest.

"How?" the tall saiyan asked.

"He felt your approach. As did the entire planet…"

"You guys can sense people too? Cool! I'm Goku," he amicably said, holding out his hand.

The Namekian raised a brow. "I am Nail. If you all wouldn't mind, I can introduce you to Grand Elder Guru," he said, motioning to the stone pillar not a hundred meters away.

"Unless this has something to do with the Dragon Balls, I'm afraid that'll have to wait," Raditz told him, unflinchingly. "We're on quite the restricted timeline."

"Believe me, I'm not too thrilled about your presence either, Saiyan, " Nail grumbled, hovering in the air. "Come on."

"I see our race's reputation precedes us," Raditz proudly said.

"Yes, it does. The infiltration team was no match for the Warrior Clan's strongest fighter, however. I'm sorry they had to be destroyed. Come along."

Raditz shrugged, taking flight alongside the warrior. Goku scooped up Bulma, Tarble by his side. The group arrived safely atop the pillar of stone, the only injury being the indentations of Bulma's nails on Goku's tough skin. When the boy set her down, she grasped his arm for stability.

"My arm is gonna pop off if you keep hanging onto me!"

"I'm sorry, this is just really high up," she cried. She couldn't quell her legs' wobbling.

Nail stepped next to the entrance of the shadowy abode, presumably the residence of the Namekian's grand elder. His face steely, he motioned for them to enter.

Raditz did so, his head held high. A Saiyan's increased nightvision was a blessing in this dark structure.

"Holy moly!" Goku shouted, before quickly covering his mouth.

His elder brother and the rest of their party were equally gobsmacked. "I-" the maned saiyan spluttered.

Goku steeled himself, stepping toward the massive and rotund Namekian. His kind and wrinkled face gave an aura of benevolence. "Hi."

"Hello," the ancient Namekian bellowed, offering a kind smile.

Goku looked back to his brother, who was still in shock. "My name is Goku. I'm a Saiyan from the planet Earth."

Guru gave a slow chuckle. "Your name and homeworld do not match your race. That is something we have in common, my young friend."

"Doooo…. you know why we came here, Grand Elder?"

"To see our Ajisa gardens?" He wryly suggested. Goku opened his mouth to object, but the elder was quicker to the draw. "I merely jest."

"We don't have time for jokes," Raditz spat, folding his arms. "You know what we're here for."

"I was attempting to bright light to dark times… Yes, you must be here for our Dragon Balls. There is not much else here a tourist would come for."

"Be nice!" Goku warned his brother. "Uh, yeah, actually. We did come for your Dragon Balls."

"Hmm… You say that as if you lost a set belonging to your world? Earth did you say?"

"Yup. Our guardian, Kami, was absorbed by his evil half, Piccolo. When that happened, we lost the Dragon Balls and he got crazy strong. We were hoping to borrow yours, whether it be to restore our war-torn planet or wish for a way to beat him," Goku truthfully said.

"The son of Katas… Of all the things I expected you off-worlders to bring news of, it was not that," Guru mumbled.

"You know Piccolo's father?" Raditz asked, thoroughly intrigued. Goku could sense his brother had lowered his crabby exterior. He used it mostly to feel people out.

"Yes. He sent his son away in a spacecraft just before our planet was hit with a great calamity. To think he has performed fission and fusion… Troubling,"

Goku cleared his throat. "Uh, the Dragon Balls? I hate to sound like my brother, but we need to make a wish. I think we'll ask to restore the Earth and those who lost their lives back."

"Our Dragon Balls cannot revive more than one person at a time, in afraid," Guru explained. "Such a drawback is the cost of having three wishes. However, I don't think even Porunga could come up with anything to stop a Super Namekian…"

"Ours have one wish. Do you think they can bring back more than one?"

"You'll have to ask the Super Namekian about that, but I would venture to guess that is the case," Guru said.

"Wait, wait. A Super Namekian?" Nail blanched. "Your Earth may be beyond saving…"

"Why? What's a Super Namekian? Why can't I just wish to become a- uh- Super Saiyan?" Goku whined. "I'm willing to do anything to save Earth, even if it means I don't get a good fight."

"You cannot wish to become a Super Saiyan, it must be earned. I fear even that would be insufficient in stopping the son of Katas."

Tarble's jaw dropped to the floor. "Hold up! Are you suggesting the legendary Super Saiyan is something any Saiyan can obtain?" He blushed when all eyes were on him. "Uh, I mean, Grand Elder."

"Yes," Guru immediately said. "Any Saiyan can obtain the transformation through a combination of several things. It is more difficult for those with evil hearts."

"Almost all Saiyans are corrupt. Tired of serving, but corrupt," Raditz said. "This news is…"

Guru gave a slow nod. "And I'm afraid the Saiyans who are good aren't typically very strong."

"Yup," Goku nodded. "My Mom is the most good person I know, but she couldn't defeat a Saibaman."

"Yes… A shame. I think the universe would be a safer place with Saiyans like you. Which I why I'd like to gift you something. I have the power to draw out the potential hidden within nearly ever being. Because Saiyans possess limitless potential, I'm afraid I cannot do much. I will however be able to grant you the power of your Great Ape form while staying normal, but I doubt it will be enough to allow for a Super Saiyan transformation."

"That's handy," Raditz said with a smirk. "I apologize for my earlier hostility."

"Yeah, and it's worth a shot. What do I do?" Goku asked, his tail swishing in anticipation.

Guru smiled, extending his hand outward. "Step under my palm. I merely have to lay my hand upon your head."

Goku did as asked, and was instantly hit with a sinking feeling- literally. For a brief moment, it felt as if he were being pushed down to the floor, but the next, he was standing taller than he had ever felt. He clenched his left fist a few times, testing to see if he felt any more powerful.

Nail sighed. "I don't think that'll be enough."

"I have only unlocked the potential of one, Nail. Have patience."

Guru did the same for Tarble and Raditz. The Namekian warrior was begrudgingly proven correct.

Guru let out a long sigh. "I believe I have one more idea. Nail, could you fetch the Book of Legends."

Said bodyguard immediately complied, leaving the dark domicile.

"I'd like to thank you for how helpful you've been. Not everyone would help someone save their planet…" Bulma meekly said.

Guru smiled. "We Namekians believe in kindness above all else. Who knows? Perhaps one day you will be needed to assist our people."

Goku nodded, his expression downcast. "I hope not, but just give us a call. Namek can count on us."

"Am I the only one surprised that Namekians know more about our legends than we do?" Raditz asked aloud.

"Our race was quite advanced before the calamity. We were at least advanced enough to send a spacecraft away with a child," Guru pointed out.

"True," Bulma nodded.

Just as Goku was about to say something, Nail floated back into the hut. In his clawed hands was a dusty old leather-bound tome. "I have retrieved it. What is it that you believe could save their planet without a wish?" he asked as Guru took the thick book into his just as ancient palms.

The Grand Elder cracked it open, tracing his finger down the page he came upon. Goku was surprised he was even reading, as the Elder's eyes appeared to be constantly closed. "Mmm…" he bellowed.

"What is it?" Goku carefully asked. "Did you figure it out?"

"I believe I have, young Goku. Are any of you familiar with something called a Super Saiyan God?"

Goku, Tarble, and Raditz all glanced at one another, each drawing blanks. "No? There is another legendary Super Saiyan?" Raditz incredulously asked.

"Yes. It appears that long ago, five pure-hearted Saiyans poured their energy into a sixth, creating a God in an attempt to stop the evil spreading upon their world. However, they failed and their story lost to time because the form is not suited for extended use…"

"Well, I only need to be strong enough to beat one guy! Guru, this could work! We gotta try this!" Goku exclaimed.

Guru let out a long sigh. "I must implore you to be careful. I fear what could happen should you be unable to control such a taxing state."

Goku glanced at his boots. "Well, like I said, we can try this."

Raditz made a sound of approval. "Yes, this might be just the ticket. Perhaps such a ritual would enable us to defeat Frieza and restore peace to the galaxy. I've changed my mind, we're going back to Earth."

The younger sibling blanched. "Uh, one bad guy at a time. Sounds like this could go really badly."

"Yes. I believe now is our time to part, Goku. I dearly hope we will be able to repair the damage to your world."

"Well, we can't really do anything about fixin' the place up til' the infestation is gone. I bet we'll be here to wish back Kami before anyone knows it," Goku confidently said. "It's been fun, Guru."

The Grand Elder smiled. "I look forward to it. We shall await your return, Goku!"

"So, shall we attempt this ritual? Between us, Mom, and the twins we've got six Saiyans," Raditz pointed out as soon as they had left the hut. Goku had picked up Bulma, who was noticeably calmer.

Tarble took a deep breath. "Even if this doesn't work, the things we've learned today…"

"What even is a Super Saiyan, let alone a Super God?" Bulma asked.

Goku exhaled through his nostrils. "Well, it's sort of like a legend. Except this one is real, and it's gonna help us save earth."

"Hmm. I know that's the best explanation I'll get from you, but someone had better go into detail later."

The saiyan chuckled. "Okay, will do."

Raditz folded his arms as they landed. "It's obvious you'll be the one we try to transform, brother."

"I- It is?" he said, rubbing the back of his head, nearly dropping Bulma.

Tarble barely suppressed a laugh. "Of course!"

"It's probably best to not let our cousins discover what this ritual is for until it's too late. I'm sure they wouldn't approve of something that would only make it harder for them to abduct you," the taller saiyan supposed.

Goku nodded, helping Bulma to her feet. "Yeah, that might be best. Let's just tell them it'll power all of us up? Or it's like a spell that'll allow us to breathe in space, something like that."

"Let's go with the power-up lie," Tarble suggested. "They'll go for it straight away if they think they're going to be closer to your power. May make them less afraid of going back to Earth, too."

"I don't feel too good about this," Goku said, watching Raditz step up the ramp. With a few barks, Yamcha and the remaining Saiyans were outside the ship, marveling at the change in scenery.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Gine asked, trying her best to conceal her disapproval at the idea of returning to Earth.

Goku took a brief moment to explain the fact that the Dragon Balls here could only revive one person at a time. He also pointed out that even if they were just to restore Kami, they'd need to deal with Piccolo first. Raditz filled in the blanks where necessary.

"However," he paused for effect, marveling in his mother's pride for him. "The Grand Elder taught us a way to beat Piccolo. Then we can come back and use the wishes to fix Earth."

"Spill, Goku," Yamcha excitedly suggested.

"Please do, I'm getting tired of this fetching business!" Bibi shouted. "Buuuuut I'd like to be not worried about Piccolo Cooler stuff."

The boy smiled. "Well, all of us Saiyans have to get in a circle and send energy into one person. If we do that, it'll- uh-"

Raditz took over. "It's a Namekian technique. Apparently sending energy into one person and redistributing it multiplies the power."

"Let's get on with it then!" Boston cried impatiently, taking his aunt's right hand. Bibi followed suit on Gine's left. Tarble and Raditz each took a twin's hand, placing their free hands on Goku's back.

As the Saiyan with the palm frond hair faded away from the circle, he prepared himself to receive their energy. "Okay. I'm ready."

Bibi sighed loudly as she took energy from Gine, sending it to Raditz. "This had better-"

As soon as the first ounce of energy reached Goku, sparks flew as if someone were attempting and failing to ignite a pocket lighter. That was, until it did work. Suddenly, starting with Gine and ending just before Goku, the saiyans were engulfed in sky blue flames. The energy pulsated off of them, their shadows dancing in circles.

"This is some technique!" Gine cried over the whipping winds.

Before Goku could stop himself, he began to float, the blue aura flaring now only around him.

"Ack! It's way too bright!" Bulma shouted.

Tarble blanched. "Is the energy still going into him? I can't see a thing!"

The flashing subsided, now the light was once again surrounding only Goku, not the surrounding area. Flashing once more, the transformation seemed to be over. Goku floated gracefully back down to the blue grass, observing his newly tanned skin with skeptical eyebrows.

"Are you okay?!" Gine cried, placing her arms on his shoulder pads. "You look like you haven't eaten in months!"

"Try years…" Raditz quietly remarked.

Bibi and Boston glared at their youngest cousin. "What the heck does being a redhead have to do with becomin' a battery? Give that energy back." the male snarled.

"Shut your halfbrench mouths…" Raditz growled. "We lied to you, that was a ritual to increase only Goku's power."

"He's a Super Saiyan," Bibi blanched, her meager breakfast threatening to show itself once again. "That's not possible…"

"Gotta agree. I don't feel any different," Goku supposed. "But I look different?"

"Your energy has completely disappeared!" Nail shouted from atop their ship. He touched down in front of the supposed Super Saiyan God. Raditz snickered something borderline racist about the Namekian people's tendency for dramatics. "That's too odd for there not to have been a change- I highly doubt this ritual would only allow for ki camouflage."

Gine studied her son's gaunt face. "You… do look a whole lot more tranquil."

Her son cocked a crimson eyebrow. "Really? I just feel really normal."

"I have an idea. Why not fight me? Break your Godhood in?" Nail suggested with a smirk.

Goku simply nodded. Everyone quickly moved to give them space. Nail thought it wiser for the two of them to move, so they did. The Super Saiyan God nearly slammed into a nearby hill when he attempted to hover over a lake. That was when the full gravity of what he attained struck him like a sock full of nickels.

"Oh, I think this gave me a new kind of energy..? That's the only explanation I can think of," he told Nail. "All of a sudden I can sense a ton of people all across the Universe. Their energies are so powerful I can feel them from here!"

"How powerful?" Nail asked quickly.

"I dunno. I don't know how this second type of energy scales to the first type."

"The Grand Elder informs me that those who possess Divine energy are the gods of this universe. Also, it's called Divine energy, as opposed to Mortal energy," Nail explained.

"So I guess the name is accurate…" Goku mumbled under his breath. "I hope they don't get mad that I'm on the radar now."

"The Grand Elder assures me you are safe provided you don't use the power for that which breaks the rules of our Universe."

"Say, how are you talking to him? Do those antennae of yours pick up signals?" Goku joked, giving himself a small chuckle.

"Yes," Nail said, serious as a heart attack. "Shall we test your power? If you can't beat me, there's no way you'll be able to use that to defeat Piccolo."

"Sure. Why don't you come at me first? I don't know my own strength yet. Blocking might-"

Nail seemed to slowly move toward him. Goku didn't need to use his instincts to dodge, he had time to raise his arm and an eyebrow, appraising the situation. It was as if time itself had stopped, but Goku was sure it was simply the increase in speed he had received.

Once Nail's fist connected with Goku's palm, he let out a cry of pure agony. His green fist had splattered against the boy's, a sick purple of bruises and burst blood vessels went up his arm.

"Oh no! Nail, are you okay?!" he cried, moving in closer. "Hold on a sec, I have Senzu beans in the ship!"

"Wait! I don't think that'll be necessary, neither will continuing this spar. Now is as good a time as any to teach you about my race's abilities. The Super Namekian may attempt this. Don't ever assume you've crippled any of his limbs!" Nail growled through grit fangs.

Goku patiently watched as Nail raised his nails to his demolished arm. The Namekian took a deep breath before exhaling as a blade of energy severed the useless limb. He cried out in pain before letting out a grunt of exertion. Instantaneously and good as new, Nail's arm was back.

Breathing heavily, he glared at the Saiyan God. "Consider yourself taught."

Goku nodded sternly. "Alright. Bye, Nail!"

* * *

Heyo! Decided to upload this a day early because my friend pestered me to. Also, we have a discord for this fic now! The server code is 4CC5VC6! Hope to see you there! I'm still looking for an editor.


	21. Chapter 21: The Beginning

When they were safe aboard the ship, Gine set herself on the mission of keeping a watchful eye over her son. The fact that she was leaving her nephew and niece alone (who were still incredibly paranoid and fretful about the escalating situation) in order to watch a God spoke volumes. She could hardly imagine her son as a deity, despite the fact that he sat across from her in the observation deck.

The residual baby fat of his face was gone as a result of his transformation. Now even more than ever, with his tanned skin, he looked near exactly like his father. Granted, a crimson haired, red eyed, exceptionally gaunt version of his father, but a version nevertheless. Gine pursed her lips as she noticed beads of sweat accumulating on his forehead.

"Goku, sweetie, are you feeling alright? You're sweating quite a bit."

He met her onyx eyes with his sharp bloody ones. "Not really. I can feel the transformation slipping, so I'm trying to y'know, hold it in til I can beat Piccolo."

"What? No, if it's hurting you, stop it! We can just do the transformation again! The cost of a few moments is much less than you, Goku," she begged, her eyes wide with concern.

"I don't know if it'll work again, Mom."

"Then we'll make someone else a God!"

"I don't think Boston or Bibi will be wanting to do that. I can feel them practically boiling in their room," he said, staring out at the endless cosmos.

Gine sighed. "I don't recall raising you to be a negative Nancy… As a mother, I'm not a fan of what this God stuff has done to my son."

"I'm still here," he mumbled. "It's just, I'm not fighting for only me anymore. Mom, it's the whole planet Earth that's counting on me to use this!"

She gave him a pained look. "You're just as important as any of the people you're trying to save. Just… remember that there's such a thing to be too selfless…"

"I'll…" he muttered. "Keep that in mind…"

Panic spread throughout Gine's chest. She shot forward, grasping her son's shoulders. "Kakarot? Are you- Goku!" His hair and eyes flashed from red to black. The mother watched his eyelids flutter, as if he were on the verge of sleep.

"I'm… just Saiyan…" he chuckled before his mop of hair slumped downward, now dark once more.

She held her son's limp frame as his original color, in all senses, returned. "I told you to let it go!" the distraught mother said.

"No can do," he muttered, his vision faded.

"Goku!"

"I'll be okay…" he slurred. "Just goin' ta sleep…"

Gine leaned over him, desperately clawing for the cloth pouch the on the arm of his lounge chair. She fumbled with it for a few moments before pulling the drawstrings to fetch a single bean. Hoping and praying that what he had told her about the Senzus was true, she crushed it within her palm and drained the grains into his mouth.

Goku found the strength to at least swallow, immediately bouncing back.

"Too selfless?" he panted. Goku's hair and eyes returned to their Divine color.

She allowed a few tears to come to her eyes. "Yes. If you let this destroy you, what happens if I- we lose you, only for you to be needed again? Goku, as much as it pains me to say it, you're destined for greatness. I've only begun to see it, I know defeating Piccolo isn't going to be your peak. You're… you're a Super Saiyan. If your father could be here, he'd be incredibly proud."

Goku let out a nervous chuckle. "You say that as if he's dead…"

"I hold hope, Goku..."

OxOxO

Goku had left without a word once they had landed, leaving Raditz, of course, to ensure the safety of their growing party. His younger brother had assured him that Piccolo was close, and to leave if he wasn't back in an hour. Raditz had faith in his brother, but his cautious nature already had him formulating a plan to escape.

If need be, they could simply flee back to Namek. Because the twins were terrified, and Gine and the humans wished to remain safe, only Tarble and himself remained outside the ship. The area they had landed in was arid, dry, and sun scorched. For miles around there were nothing but winding canyon roads.

He glanced at his prince, who was currently studying a hand-sized spiny lizard from a distance. "Tarble?"

Said Saiyan prince stretched upwards and out of a crouching position. "Yeah?"

"I've got to go take a leak. Keep the ship safe?"

"Yeah, sure. Doubt I'll need to though."

Raditz took to the sky. "You never know," he said, zooming toward a bend in the canyon road.

Just next to him was a derelict fuel station. He raised an eyebrow, wondering how maybe people this station saw before the end of the world.

The click of a projectile weapon being cocked sent his guard upward. "What do you want? I was about to take a piss."

"You're a guy?" a female voice briskly asked aloud.

He scoffed. "Do I look like a woman?"

"I was thinking maybe more of a muscular hedgehog," she chuckled. "Sure is a good thing I got the drop on you, you look like you could crush a watermelon with your thighs."

"I can crush things much stronger than a fruit with my fingers," Raditz turned around suddenly. "I'm sorry-"

The blonde woman opened fire. Rather than there being a change in Raditz face, there was a less permanent on hers. He caught the bullet, observing it with disapproval. His tail swished freely. Raditz detected something like recognition on her face.

"I thought I heard a slug thrower! Ha! You'll have to do much better than that to defeat a Saiyan."

She shook her head, keeping her aim steady. "Shit. Are you a new version of those robots?"

Raditz was a little disappointed she hadn't been interested in furthering his ego. "No, I'm a Saiyan. An alien, to you."

The woman slapped her forehead. "Can't believe I was so worried. How in the hell do you find time to do drugs when the world has gone to shit?! What are you on?! Never mind, just give me your stuff and I won't unload a magazine into your dick. Then you can go back to ta- snorting whatever."

"Did you not just see me catch your bullet?!"

"So? I've sent fifty caliber rounds into a kid with a tail too three times smaller than you, and he didn't have a scratch on him. I'm betting the reason you caught that is because you ain't bulletproof."

"Would you care to test your theory, you mouthy bitch?"

She sneered. "You're the bitch, you half naked hairball! If that doesn't work, I've got even more in my arsenal. All of this can be avoided if you hand over your damn supplies. No way you're out here in the middle of nowhere without a cache."

Raditz let out a hearty laugh. "You're incredibly Saiyan-like, you know that? I met a bucket of bolts who tossed insults with me just like you. I tore her apart."

"Yeah?" she asked challengingly. "Why haven't you done that to me, then?"

"There are two reasons your heart still beats. One. You're not a threat to this world."

"Oh my god, you said I was the mouthy bitch?" she asked. "Do I even wanna know what the second one is, or do I already know it? Blah blah blah!"

Raditz could feel his lifespan shortening with this harpy's challenging attitude. She certainly could pass for a Saiyan. Maybe a Saiyan with a wig, but a Saiyan.

"Did you say you shot a boy with a tail? One like mine?" Her face remained in a sneer. "One named Goku?" The blonde's expression turned cautious.

"Yep. How the hell do you know that? You his dad or something? That old pervert told me his father came to get him…"

"Ha! My intuition was correct if you do know him. I'm his older brother. I believe he's told me stories about you. A woman with two personalities? One is a trigger happy blond. I think you must be… Lunch, right? Goku-"

"It's Launch, dickbag. Make sure you don't make the mistake again."

OxOxO

The last occasion King Piccolo had felt terror like this, he was being sucked into an electronic rice cooker.

He chuckled nervously at the intruder who had broken a hole into his dark throne room. "Didn't I turn a boy like you into a donut?" All of his sons designed to be guards lay dead at his feet, and he couldn't see the boy move to snuff their lives. "I assume your kind can regenerate. There's no way you should be here, red hair or not."

"What's wrong, Piccolo? You're looking a little green," Goku said calmly.

"Hmm… The possibility nearly slipped my mind, considering the mess of blood you created. You're a Red Ribbon Cyborg, aren't you now?"

"No, I'm a living person. I've come here for the sake of the planet you've fried, fractured, and fucked."

Piccolo let out a nervous chuckle. "But… you've got no energy…" he muttered. "So you've come for a rematch against the Demon King Piccolo?"

Goku shook his red head, piercing Piccolo with his fiery gaze. "Rematch? Our first encounter wasn't a fight, so I'm here to return the favor. I'm gonna kill you."

"Is that so? Well, I- HA!" Piccolo leapt up, firing a beam of yellow energy from his mouth.

The Saiyan God batted it away, destroying what was left of the wrecked roof. Sunlight danced above them. "You're trying real hard to give me no choice, y'know that?"

It had never been easier to charge his signature attack. Before Piccolo could blink, he had already cupped his hands. "Kamehame-HAAAAAAA!" he cried, throwing his palms forward.

Piccolo let out a ghastly shriek that was swiftly sniffed out by the building sized energy blast.

"Uh oh," he muttered, taking in the sheer size of the blast. The fine hairs on his tail stood on end, prompting him to whip around. Goku fired another blast diagonally toward the sky, barely deflecting his Kamehameha before it could strike him.

He was awestruck with himself, and honestly quite fearful. This new form had granted him power so vast, he had fired a ki wave so powerful it had wrapped around the earth and nearly hit him in the head. Goku was unused to this power, leaving him no choice but to stow it away. As much as he would've loved to train in this form, the guilt at most likely erasing a few lives with his unbridled divinity kept him from it.

Goku dropped out of the Super Saiyan God form, his features returning to normal. His skin became pale as he slightly filled out, his irises and hair becoming dark. He observed his shaking palms before flying upward and toward his family.

OxOxO

Just as Raditz was about to retort that he'd have no trouble remembering she didn't share a name with a mealtime, the ground began to quake. Launch fell forward, into Raditz arms. Shortly thereafter, a bright light filled the sky, sending dust afterward.

Launch's ticklish nose was affected by the airborne allergen. As she leaned against him, she reeled back before sneezing in his face.

If Raditz had any doubt that she wasn't who he thought she was, it was quelled here. The now blue-haired Launch slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the Saiyan. He averted his gaze, his cheeks blushing at her adorable deer-in-headlights impression. Then he mentally cursed himself for thinking such a thing was cute. She wasn't Saiyan! Although… she sure did act like one. Sometimes.

"Um, I'm sorry, where am I? Who are you?" she asked, her cheeks equally red.

"You don't recall? You just attempted to rob me before that earthquake!"

She backed away, her features apologetic. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, sir. You see-"

"Your personality changes when you sneeze. I know," Raditz said, finally able to stomach looking at her. "You sneezed right after I told you I'm Goku's brother."

Her eyes went wide as her jaw dropped. "Really?! That explains the tail. Oh, Goku is going to grow up into such a handsome boy if he's anything like you! Does that mean he's back from space?"

Raditz cleared his throat. She was much too trusting to have survived this long! Without her blonde form, he was sure she'd have perished in the wasteland that is Earth. "I can take you to where he'll be shortly. He just left to take on Piccolo."

Launch's big eyes filled with tears. "Y-you mean it? Please tell me this isn't some sort of joke. I'm sorry for what I did while I was blonde, but please don't pull my leg because of it!"

He smirked. "I mean it. Our ship is just over around the bend."

"My blonde half would kill me if she knew I believed you…"

The Saiyan held out his hand to the human. "Come along."

Launch looked up at him, wiping her tears away. "Okay, let's go."

Raditz picked up the now squealing Launch as he took to the skies. "Hang on."

"Your brother needed a cloud to fly!" she screeched. "Not so fast, please!"

He chuckled. "We're already here! It was just faster than walking."

Setting her down, she marveled at the sleek ship. "You really weren't kidding! Oh, wow! I can't wait to see Goku! We only spent a short time together, but I miss that kid so much!"

Gine looked up from her card game with Tarble, Bulma, and Yamcha. "Raditz, why did you kidnap that girl?"

"I didn't!" he spluttered.

Launch looked at the two with tails. "Oh, are you Goku's other siblings?"

Gine turned beet red. "Ah, no, I'm his mother. You're very flattering!"

"You look younger than me!" Launch cried.

"And we're Goku's friends," Tarble explained, motioning to the humans.

"Sooooo… who are you?" Gine asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm Launch."

"Oh, we've heard a lot about you!" Gine beamed. "Oh, Goku would love to catch up when he gets back, I'm sure!"

Launch looked up at Raditz. "I can't wait! This has been the best day of my life, and I've only been away for five minutes!"

"Well, your blonde half was very much awake when we met," Raditz muttered.

She laughed nervously, taking a seat next to Gine. "I'm sorry."

* * *

And the restoration of earth finally makes some advancement! Wanna talk about it? We've got a discord at 4CC5VC6!


	22. Chapter 22: Wish

Goku's boots met the ground outside the ship like an old friend. Speaking of old friends, he immediately spotted the last person he expected to be here. "Wha- holy cow, hey, Launch!" he exclaimed.

"Goku!" she replied, rushing to him and kneeling for a hug. "You haven't changed a bit!"

"You either!"

Bulma loudly cleared her throat. "Is… y'know?"

Launch stood up, giving him some space but looking at him expectantly. Goku looked down at his boots. "Yeah, Piccolo is dead. He left me no choice."

Bulma and Yamcha could barely hold their excitement. They danced around, flailing in exclamation and chanting. Launch sank to the ground, tears falling from her wide eyes.

"Goku… You're…" Bulma blubbered through tears, embracing the boy. "I'll never forget this…"

"We aren't out of the woods yet. We still have to make our wishes and clean this planet up! At least until father gives us the go ahead," Raditz declared.

Goku stared at his brother in shock. "You're surprisingly on top of things. I honestly expected you to want to be a Super Saiyan God too."

Raditz glared at his brother. "Raise your expectations! I'm nothing like our detestable cousins. I would only accept a power received through other people if it was a last resort, like you did!"

Goku sighed. "Sorry, I just… Today has been confusing," Raditz truly was a puzzling individual. So cowardly, but so selfless… Such a follower, but such a leader… "But, we do have to keep that a secret. I mean, if word got out about how easy to do that transformation is, the universe could be in a lotta trouble. I don't trust the average Saiyan with this. Heck, I don't even trust myself with it!"

"Guru said the transformation wasn't attainable by those with impure intentions, so don't worry. On another note, my chips are down regarding the origin of the earthquakes earlier. You?" Raditz challenged.

"Yeah," Goku mumbled. "I almost killed myself, and certainly a bunch of people. My Kamehameha wave went all the way around the planet and almost hit me."

Gine felt the air leave her lungs like she had been socked in the gut. "Goku, I'm so glad it worked out, but please, please remember yourself!"

"People can be wished back," Raditz pointed out, clapping a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Speaking of which, we'd best not keep the ghosts waiting."

"To Namek!" Bulma cheered.

Launch sniffled, standing up and dusting off her knees. "So I understand the Piccolo being dead stuff, but I'm entirely lost here!"

Yamcha chuckled. "Join the club, sister."

Goku smiled at the woman with the multiple personalities. "I can explain everything on the way. Namek is another planet with Dragon Balls we're going to use to bring back our Dragon Balls!"

"Hold it. Not all of us are going," Raditz said. "I'm staying, as should the humans."

Goku raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Uhh, but you're our pilot? You must really want to stay here if that slipped your mind!"

Bulma looked back and forth at Raditz and the woman he kept eyeing. "I think I get it… Listen, I think I saw enough to fly it. We'll leave Raditz and his date here."

Raditz nodded. "Yes, that's accepta-" his eyes went wide. "You damned-!" He glanced at Launch, who was observing him with what he detected as possible fear. "Bulma!"

Launch looked around in confusion. "Who's hizdate? Is that a special alien name for… mom?"

"Yes!" Raditz spluttered, thanking his lucky stars. "Yes, my mother and I will stay here!"

"Me too," Launch said. "I'm not exactly astronaut material."

Tarble left the ship, raising a hand. "Me as well! I'm not a fan of flying in ships."

Goku laughed nervously as Yamcha and Bulma entered the ship. "Okay, well, uh, bye," he said as he entered.

"I'd better start cleaning up the Red Ribbon army while we wait for Goku," Raditz supposed, standing up and sighing when his brother was gone.

"Actually, could you wait a bit and explain everything to me?" Launch asked nervously. "Is that… too much to ask? No, that's probably selfish of me…"

"No, no! It's fine. I can explain it," Raditz said. "Take a seat, it's quite the tale."

OxOxO

By the time they had arrived on Namek, Goku was sure he had been thanked at least twenty times by their new pilot, Bulma. Goku tried to push that out of his mind and dwell on other things, but that only led his mind to wildly speculate about what could go wrong next. His cousins had been awfully quiet.

Goku stepped out into the sunny Namek day, spotting Nail almost immediately. His friends were close behind.

"You're here sooner than expected. I take it Piccolo has been destroyed then?"

"Yup."

"Lord Guru had me collect the Dragon Balls for your return. Are you ready? You get three wishes."

Goku stared at the Namekian warrior. "The Earth gets three wishes. This isn't for me."

Nail smirked. "Sure, sure," he mumbled, walking to the spot he had arranged all seven Dragon Balls in.

The boy's eyes went wide. "Those are huge!" Bulma exclaimed from behind him.

"Yours are a different size?" he asked, kneeling in front of them. "Odd. Takkaraput pop porunga pupiritt paro," Nail said.

The sky darkened, night coming to Namek for the first time in ages. Light flashed as the giant Dragon Balls were seemingly struck by lightning. Most dazzling of all was the muscular dragon that emerged. It folded its jacked arms, bellowing in a language foreign to the visitors.

"That dragon could jump rope with Shenron!" Yamcha exclaimed.

Nail looked back at the foreigners. "Your first wish?"

Goku stepped forward. "Dragon! Please separate the fused Namekians known as Piccolo and Kami!"

"He can't understand you," Nail explained before translating their wish.

The Dragon Porunga's eyes flashed red before uttering what they were certain meant "your wish has been granted".

Nail nodded. "It has been done. Now you want to revive Kami?"

"Yup!" Goku said.

The Namekian went ahead and phrased their wish, which was immediately granted by the Dragon. A very confused and disoriented Namekian stumbled to the ground after appearing out of thin air.

"Are you Kami?" Bulma excitedly asked.

Goku nodded. "Feels similar enough to Piccolo's energy!"

The Namekian who resembled a raisin looked cautiously up at his younger kin. "Pardon, did someone say Piccolo? Where did King Yemma go?"

"You've been split from your evil half and revived," Nail explained. "This is your homeworld, Namek. Sorry for the rushed explanation, but it's best not to keep Porunga waiting."

Kami stood up, his joints creaking. "Yes, alright. I can wait," he muttered as he looked up at the Dragon. "So this is the Dragon of my home…"

"Please restore the ecological damage done to earth by Piccolo and the Red Ribbon Army," Bulma suggested.

"That sounds good," Goku agreed. "Restore it to what it was before the trouble."

Nail nodded in acknowledgment once more. He relayed the wish, the Dragon's eyes glowed red before bellowing, and then disappeared.

Kami looked to the non-Namekians. "King Yemma explained most of this to me in the Other World, and it's just now coming back to me. One of you killed Piccolo, did you not? Regardless, you've done a great thing in restoring the Earth."

Goku went up and shook the Earth Guardian's hand. "Yeah, I did. Sorry that I killed you too! Had no choice considerin' you were fused."

"No, no, I have no complaints. It is a good thing indeed he is gone, and it was even better you thought to separate our life-link."

The Saiyan boy chuckled nervously. "Oh, uh, I didn't. I just thought I'd have to separate you because you were fused!"

"Hm."

Bulma cleared her throat. "I don't mean to sound rude, but is it okay if we go back to Earth and use your Dragon Balls to revive everyone killed by Piccolo and the Red Ribbon Army?"

"Of course," he beamed. "As long as you fill the gaps in my knowledge. Until minutes ago, I did not know I was an Alien to the earth."

"You got it. Thanks Nail!" he said, hotfooting it to the ship. He was ecstatic that the Earth's orbs could revive more than one soul at a time. "Let's get this over with so I can sleep forever!"

Bulma observed the boy's face. "Those bags under your eyes could carry home groceries! When was the last time you slept?"

He shrugged. "Pretty sure I blacked out on the way back from Namek for the first time."

The girl frowned, paining for him. "I'm sorry we've had you do so much for us."

"All in a day's work."

OxOxO

Tarble looked over to Raditz, who was currently sitting on a stump and grumbling. "You okay?"

Said grump eyed Launch, who was cricked in front of the roaring fire. "Nothing. I just wish I'd asked Bulma for the locations of Red Ribbon bases we could hit. She'd probably know, in order to avoid them."

Launch spoke up. "I bet I know."

"The blonde you?" Gine raised an eyebrow.

Her cheeks reddened. "Sorry, yeah, that's what I meant. I bet she knows."

"Can we ask her?" Raditz queried. Surely it wouldn't be that hard to make her sneeze. He recalled his brother mentioning that her nose was sensitive to allergens.

"Ah, sure," she said, standing up. She parked herself in front of a smooth rock, pulling out a small notepad and pen.

"What are you doing?" the long haired Saiyan asked slowly. "Can she write to you?"

"Sort of. I'm leaving a message with a code word so I know not to shoot you guys," she explained.

Tarble laughed nervously. "I don't think that'll be a problem for even me!"

Launch glanced at Raditz. "Well, it'd still be rude of me."

"What's the code word?" Raditz asked as she stood up.

The woman pulled the notepad close to her chest. "That's classified."

He snorted. "Okay. Need some dirt or something?"

Launch lowered her hand, holding her notepad by her hip. "No, looking near the sun usually works. Plus I don't get dirt in my lungs. Win win!" She stood her ground, turning her head toward the midday sun. "Here I go! Make sure I look at my note!"

Sure enough, this caused her to sneeze after a few moments. "What the fuck?!" Blonde Launch exclaimed as she came face to face with Raditz and the other Saiyans. "That dumbass trusted you?! Goddamnit!"

Raditz rolled his eyes. "That was my first thought. She said to look at your notepad."

Launch brought it to her face, reading it carefully. Quickly, she exclaimed, blushed, tore up the page, and growled. "What's her problem..?"

"What does it say?"

"None of your goddamn business is what, hairball. What do you want?"

"She thought you might know the locations of Red Ribbon Army bases so we might destroy them," Raditz offered.

Launch grumbled to herself. "Yeah, alright, I do. But first you gotta tell me what happened to Goku."

"He just left the planet, but he'll be back!" Tarble added.

Launch looked at her notepad, flipping the page. "Yeah, she said that too. As much as I hate to say it, you check out. Kay. Let's go blow some assholes up, yeah?"

OxOxO

Raditz cackled like a madman as he floated down, his feet crushing what was left of a smoldering door. Ash and flames were all that was left of this Red Ribbon base. A military jeep exploded not too far from them.

"You're not too bad at blowing stuff up. Kinda wish your brother was more like you," Launch said, kicking back in a burnt lounge chair.

He scoffed. "This is nothing! You should've seen the conquest of Imecka. That was quite the fireworks display."

"Conquest? You're a soldier?" Launch inquired, leaning forward.

Raditz nodded. "A damn fine one, too. I serve directly under the king of our planet."

"Huh," she muttered. "Is Goku one, too?"

"Not quite yet, he was-"

Someone landed between the two. The man was tall and bald, similar to Nappa, but even his face lacked hair. "Did you do this?"

The Saiyan scoffed. "No, it was a damned rabbit!"

Raditz discovered he was Red Ribbon when a glove emblazoned with such a symbol slammed into his face. He found out he was an android when he rocketed back, only stopping when his back collided with a somewhat solid boulder. Lasers fired from the robot's eyes that managed to singe a small indentation through his armor's breastplate before he backflipped to his feet.

"Raditz, you alright?" Launch asked, jumping up from her seat and taking aim at the automaton.

He rubbed his nostrils clean of blood, but it didn't stop the flow. "I would've destroyed you quickly had you not broken my nose."

"You are a threat to the Red Ribbon Army and must be destroyed," it bellowed.

Raditz sighed. "I think-"

Once more, the mechanical man struck Raditz in the face. He reeled back and grunted, rubbing his palm over his aching nose. This time he had stood his ground, refusing to be sent backward. The Saiyan responded kindly with a kick from his muscular leg, which the android caught. Twisting his leg, the robot sent Raditz to the ground before aiming a curb stomp at his temple.

Raditz used an energy blast to rocket away. In times like these he wished he was half the tactician his father was, or even had a quarter of his brother's instinct. All he had were conniving tricks and his wit. This Android didn't seem too keen on any underhanded tactic that would work on people. It had no heartstrings to play like a fiddle, or mercy.

Flying toward the android, he attempted to punch through it. However, he soon found that this one was much tougher than the one he had fought in that city ruin. It barely dented him, and soon it responded with a punch of its own. Raditz blocked it by crossing his forearms.

As he skimmed the ground flying away from it, he noticed something that didn't bode too well for him. Right about where a human's sternum would be, a fist sized circle began to glow. This wouldn't have concerned him if it wasn't nearly identical to the flash preceding the laser eyes that had managed to melt some of his armor.

Thinking quickly, he threw his palms forward when he thought the supposed attack had reached its peak in charging. "Double Sunday!" he cried, firing a beam from each hand that formed a 'v'. Unluckily for the android, both pink streams met at its sternum. Launch ducked for cover when she understood what the alien had done to the robot.

Raditz closed his eyes and shielded his face with his arms as soon as the android exploded. Shrapnel was sent in all directions, adding to the destruction surrounding them.

Launch came out of hiding, kicking a foot that had landed near her. It came close to Raditz and was soon followed by the girl. Stopping for a moment, she picked something up. She observed his bruised and bloody face, snorting. "You look like shit. That guy hit you hard."

Raditz resisted snorting himself, holding a hand over his nose. "Yes, he did. I wasn't expecting that. How has humanity survived this long with things evenly matched with a Saiyan warrior roaming around?!"

"I dunno. Humanity just finds a way."

He guffawed. "Ha! You're just like cockroaches."

Launch rolled her eyes, holding up what she had found. "Is this a Dragon Ball?"

Sure enough, she was holding an orange crystalline sphere that had two stars suspended within in. His eyes lit up. "Yes, that has to be! They must've revived Kami. Let's return to the camp and await my brother's return."

"Sounds good. What are we going to do about your nose, though?"

"I don't-" Raditz sneezed, blood rocketing from his broken nose. "AGH!"

OxOxO

Goku had drifted into unconsciousness almost as soon as they had boarded the ship, so Bulma was the one to lead the charge on hunting the Dragon Balls. That was, until Kami had simply suggested that he could bring them to one place for ease of access. The small band loaded onto the ship, following Kami's directions to a place called the Lookout. If Goku were awake, he'd realize they were atop Korin's tower.

The Lookout had room to spare for landing a spaceship. Deciding to leave Goku to rest, everyone save for his mother left the ship as Kami called the Dragon Balls to their location.

A genie named Mister Popo was elated at his master, Kami's return. He hardly let the green Namekian out of his sight.

"Shall we move on?" Raditz suggested, his nose no longer broken. A quick senzu half had remedied such an injury.

"Right, right," Kami chuckled. "Mister Popo, will you do the honors?"

"Right away!" he cheered. "Eternal Dragon Shenron, rise!"

A sprawling Dragon grew from the gathering, winding and cooling all over the Lookout. For those who hadn't seen Shenron previously, they were shocked to discover how much he differed from Porunga. "I am the Eternal Dragon, Shenron…" it bellowed. "Speak your wish so that I may grant it."

Bulma smirked. "Resurrect everyone good killed by Piccolo's forces and the Red Ribbon Army!"

The Dragon's eyes glowed, similarly to how the Namekian Dragon's had. "Your wish has been granted…"

Everyone save for the twins were overjoyed at their success. Said Saiyan lookalikes grumbled and entered the ship.

Bulma came close to tears as the sky returned to normal. The Dragon Balls became solid stone before flying off in seven directions. "I… I can't believe it's over."

"Feels sorta anti-climactic though," the blonde Launch shrugged. "We still gotta deal with the Red Ribbon remnants too. Let's hop to it."

Yamcha shook his head. "No, I think we should take a break for now."

Bulma nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I mean, Goku collapsed from exhaustion after we left Namek."

Raditz yawned. "Yes, I could follow in his footsteps."

Kami bowed his head. "Well, you're all very much welcome to stay here and rest. Mister Popo is an excellent chef."

"Some food sounds really good," Tarble suggested. "Thanks!"

Bulma's eyes lit up. "Why don't we throw a party for Goku?! It's been so long since anyone on Earth has been able to celebrate, and now seems as good a time as any!"

"Ho yeah!" Yamcha chuckled. "There's no one more deserving of a party than the little dude!"

Launch sighed and shrugged. "As long as there'll be booze, I can't complain.'I could use a stiff drink."

Raditz smirked, looking off the edge of the lookout and into the endless sky. Things were starting to look up.

* * *

Our Discord is 4CC5VC6.


	23. Chapter 23: Growing Pains

When Goku finally found himself awake again, he was a bit frightened at first. Attempting to move his any of his joints and failing, he was terrified of the implications. Could the God form have paralyzed him? Was he in a dream and undergoing sleep paralysis? As he took a few moments to wake up, he realized that his joints were merely giving resistance and aching, not entirely locked.

Moving his head to the door, his neck cracked audibly. "Ow," he mumbled. "What the?!" he cried, shocked by the sound of his own voice. Gone was the slight rasp as a result of his infant crying fits. It was noticeably deeper, but not extremely so. Far from it.

Goku whipped upward, joints popping all over his body. He moved his arm outward, cracking all the way. Gasping, he realized his limbs were much longer than before, and slightly more muscular. As much as it pained him, he eagerly stood up and clicked and clacked all the way to the full length mirror in his quarters' closet. Taking a moment to observe himself more closely, he felt his air leave his lungs as his mouth fell slack.

He was twice as tall as he was before, with proportions to match. Goku was elated as he realized he had hit his growth spurt. Sure, he was a tad shorter than his father, but he would surely grow into this! Rushing painfully to his nightstand, Goku took a Senzu bean from his plentiful sack and ate it, immediately feeling the effects. His aches and pains were gone, allowing him to fully focus on his matured body.

Goku chuckled devilishly as he stretched his armor over his head. His boots and bracers were too small to wedge into, however. Never before had he been so glad the stuff was so elastic and moldable. Sure, his jumpsuit that used to end above his knees were now short shorts, but it still fit. If Raditz could go around in a speedo all the time, he could surely manage until he got a larger size. Although, he sure did miss pants.

He smugly left his room, turning to enter the common room. Expecting to surprise everyone, he found them to be gone. Remembering he could sense their energy, he focused and located everyone. His mother was in her quarters, most likely asleep. As he suddenly recalled how he had found himself in bed, he realized she was probably watching him all night. He counted his lucky stars for being blessed with such a motherly mother. Everyone else was outside the ship, congregated around Kami and an unfamiliar but insignificant energy. Wherever here was, they were high up judging by all the energy signals below them. Speaking of which, the cat hermit resided under them as well.

Goku found his way to the exit of the ship, finding himself on a circular white platform surrounded by trees with a small palace on the far end. It was the Lookout, but he didn't know that. Making his way toward the building and by extension his friends, he started to formulate a plan of attack, so to speak. He felt he deserved to have a little bit of fun in surprising them. His bare feet slapped the tile as he jogged to the palace.

He found the room his friends were in immediately. The entire Lookout smelled delicious, so he simply needed to follow their energy and the scent of a good breakfast. Goku casually strolled into the room where his friends and family were gathered around a table, digging into a hearty meal of pancakes, eggs, and sausage.

Raditz noticed him first, standing up and slapping the table. "Fa- Wha-?"

Goku threw on a scowl, crossing his arms. With a scar, a tan, and properly fitting armor, he could pass as their father. "Raditz, it's me, dad!" he grumbled.

Bulma raised an eyebrow, setting her fork down. "Your hunky dad looks younger than you, Raditz!" she jested.

The Saiyan ruffled the hair on the back of his head, a slight tinge of red flushing his cheeks. "I'm just kidding. Guess who hit their growth spurt?"

"Goku?!" Raditz cried, spitting orange juice in Yamcha's face.

Launch shrugged. If she could switch personalities by sneezing, why couldn't aliens grow unnaturally fast?

Bulma spluttered. "What? But- how?! I don't-" she blushed, her hunk comment coming to the forefront of her mind. She was embarrassed, but was far from regretting it. Goku was a handsome young man with silly hair, that was just the truth.

"Saiyan biology," Tarble piped up. "We really only grow in bursts. It's near impossible to track aging, it happens so slowly outside of short spurts."

"Yes, and by short that usually entails a few weeks, not a single night!" the older brother said. "That's not fair. It took me a week and a half of agonizing growing pains to get to my current size!"

Goku shrugged. "I can't control what my body decides," Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his cousins giving him their stink eye. What little trust they had in him was most likely gone. He didn't blame them, recent event considered.

"It's hard to remember you guys are aliens sometimes," Bulma muttered.

The young man snapped his fingers. "Speaking of aliens, we've gotta find the Dragon Balls, pronto. Thanks for waiting for me, but you didn't-"

"We didn't," Yamcha interjected. "Wished everyone back already!"

"Oh."

"Why the long face?" The blonde Launch said after a sip from what everyone else suspected was a mimosa. "We saved a few thousand Red Ribbon soldiers for you."

"Nah, nah, that's fine!" he assured them. "I was just kinda shocked that- uh-"

"We accomplished something without our precious Saiyan God?" Raditz muttered, propping up his cheek with his fist and his elbow on the arm of his chair.

He laughed nervously. "Sorta. You and Tarble don't have a personal stake in the fate of the earth like me and the humans."

Raditz scoffed. "Maybe not, but I enjoy a good fight. Besides… you're… you're my brother, and your interests are my interests. You know, despite the fact that they're… horribly dull!"

Launch laughed from beside him. "Yeah, you seemed pretty bored when that baldo flattened your face."

He blinked at her.

Tarble cut the thick tension. "I kind of like this planet. The people we've met are quite pleasant. In fact, it reminds me of Tech-Tech!"

Raditz cleared his throat. "Tech-Tech?"

Goku tapped his foot anxiously. "That's where Tarble's fiancé is," Tarble choked on his orange juice. He looked to the former bandit. "Say, Yamcha, there's something that's been really bugging me. Now that things have calmed down a bit, I feel like it's appropriate to ask now."

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

"Where's Puar?"

"Oh! She's been out on a month-long supply run. Her shapeshifting really helps the runners get past all of the danger, people wise," Yamcha said.

"Thank goodness," Goku sighed. "I honestly wasn't expecting that good of an answer. Then again, you wished everyone back… Does anyone know what Krillin and Master Roshi were up to after I left?"

"Like I said, last time I saw them was at the last World Martial Arts Tournament."

"Kami, you watch over earth, does that mean you can actually watch it? Like with your eyes?" Goku asked, not skipping a beat.

"Yes, I can locate your friends if that was next in your line of questioning."

"Okay. Now I've got another question. Can we head outside for it?"

"We'll keep a warm plate for you," Raditz muttered. "You really ought to slow down. Have you completely forgotten about Vegeta? Or dad?"

"Of course not! I trust dad to keep everyone safe," He wasn't going to mention his… injured friends, as he wasn't sure if he had told his brother of his desire to wish their health back. Goku realized that no matter how much he fretted, it wouldn't bring the Dragon Balls' recharge time to zero.

"Why, yes, right away my young friend. Answering your questions is the least I can do after the tremendous service you and your friends have done to this planet," Kami said, moving to the door.

Goku jogged to catch up to him. When he was certain the Saiyans within the dining room couldn't hear him, he unloaded his question. "Korin says a girl brought me to him after I was injured. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I realize not many people on this planet could've flown me up to him. Was it..?"

"A Saiyan by the name of Ruco? Yes, your intuition serves you well."

"Do… you know where she is? We oughta talk and I've been puttin' it off for too long."

"Why, yes, I do," Kami said. "Korin sent her up to Mister Popo, who sent her in the direction of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, should you and the others have failed."

Goku chuckled nervously. "Hyper what?"

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is a room in which the flow of time can be altered. Popo tells me she has spent just under a year in there increasing her strength in order to defeat Piccolo, and then someone by the name of Frieza, while only a day has passed out here."

"I see," he replied. As much as he had faith in his friend, the road to being Frieza's superior was a steep and rough one. He'd had to seriously overshoot such a climb and receive ancient instructions to do the same. "When can I talk to her?"

"Now. I must warn you that hardly any time will pass while you go to see her. Such an experience has been found to be confusing."

"I'll keep it in mind. Will I be interrupting? I can wait."

"You may be, but she cannot stay in the chamber for much longer. Would you mind bringing her out?"

"Not at all, Kami. Where is this Hyper-hoozywhatsit?"

"I'll show you," he said, and he did. Having the sense to leave the boy to his lonesome, he took his leave, staff tapping the floor.

As he stood anxiously in front of the door, he suddenly became aware of his clothing choice. Swallowing his fear, he decided to get a new set of threads when he brought Ruco back.

Goku twisted the knob and let himself in. The inside of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was nothing like his expectations. He stood on a tile floor in what appeared to be spartan living quarters, but beyond that was… nothing. A white void stretched endlessly before him, and he realized how comfortable he felt. In here, it felt exactly like the tug of Planet Vegeta's gravity. He didn't have to consciously keep himself in check.

The door shut behind him of its own accord, slightly startling him in his disoriented state. As he stared into the empty nothingness of the Chamber, he was baffled as to where Ruco could be. So he called out. "Hello? Ruco?" His voice echoed despite there being almost nothing for sound waves to bounce off of.

His ears picked up the sound of water in a tub sloshing in the other room before a familiar voice. "Uh, yeah, this is she. Mister Popo? My year still has a few weeks."

"No, actually. It's… Goku."

The water fell silent. "Huh? You don't sound the same at all. How long have I been in here?"

"Still almost a year. I just hit my growth spurt is all. Do ya…" he cleared his throat. "Wanna talk?"

"Oh. Yeah… Sure, give me a sec to get dressed," she said. Goku detected a smidge of hurt in her voice.

Momentarily, the girl rounded the corner. Her armor was in tatters. The undersuit was now a glorified pair of shorts that were torn at the legs and waist. For a top, she wore cloth wrappings underneath the right half of her armor. He wondered what the hell she was doing in here to break armor that durable.

Ruco's eyes went predictably wide. She brushed her shaggy hair out of her eyes, looking up at the young man. "You really weren't kidding," She barely was taller than his waist. "What… what can I do for you?" she asked, trying and failing to act casually in front of someone she found physically attractive.

"I wanted to apologize. For stringing you along like that. I just… thought we both needed it at the time. Sargomel and Niuno were hurt, and that cannibal guy was on the run. I felt like if I turned you down, it would have turned a bad situation even worse," he admitted. "I realize now that I should've just either ripped the bandage off and said 'no' or admitted that I didn't share your feelings. Either way may have hurt, but for sure not as badly as what I did."

She closed her eyes and nodded. "That's… very mature of you. I'd like to say sorry too. I've spent a ton of time in here thinking about that day. I shouldn't have slapped you. I guess what I'm trying to say is… I forgive you."

"Me too," he said, offering a smile. "I'm glad we could talk this out. Y'know, without slaps!"

"I may forgive you, but you're not off the hook, Goku. We'll be even when you do one thing for me," she said, holding a single finger up. Her expression was hard as steel. "Fight me. I need to know if I'm strong enough to kill someone named Piccolo. Mister Popo let me train in here to defeat Frieza if I took care of him too."

As he looked at the desperate girl, he made a decision. "Yeah, alright. Let's go. Show me what you've been doing in here!"

Ruco levitated, skimming the floor and floating to the void. Goku was upon her instantaneously, delivering a controlled punch to the last vestiges of her chest plate.

She looked down at the now slightly cracked material. "You've improved too. How? I've not been gone a day," she said aloud, returning his blow with full force. Goku made no move to block it, so he received the brunt of it.

Goku flew back a bit, but caught himself. He needed to make this convincing. "You too!"

"Dodge my feet, not my questions!" she cried, kicking his knee in an attempt to fell him like a tree. As always, she was fighting up close and still terribly average. Ruco was cursed with fading into obscurity as her skill was neither exceptional nor poor. It simply was okay.

The young man feigned his fall, using his momentum to spin and deliver a foot to her side with express shipping. Ruco took the hit, spinning out of control. She eventually stopped herself, using the floor to leap back up at him. In both of her hands were small energy blasts, which she detonated when her fists hit his forearms.

Goku was predictably unharmed. Ruco made a noise of disbelief before proceeding to wail on him with newfound fury. To her surprise, he matched her blows with his forearms. Punching her gut lightly, she was sent away.

Ruco fell to the floor limply, panting. "You never change, you know that?"

"What?" He asked, floating down til his feet met the ground.

"Goku, I'm not an idiot. I know you're holding back. You always have," she said quietly.

Goku looked down at her with concern in his eyes, holding a hand out to help her up. "If I went all out, it'd kill you."

She batted his hand away. "Maybe I want that…"

He spluttered. "Ruco?! Come on, don't say stuff like that. You've been in here alone too long."

"Everything has gone to crap, Goku," she mumbled. "A week ago, I had all these plans for my future. I wanted to see the stars with the person I loved. I wanted to be a mother, and enjoy my life with the people who are most important to me. Then we went to Cold Planet One and they were killed or never loved me at all. I just… don't even know anymore."

"I do."

She was dumbfounded at his cheery tone. "What?"

"I know what anymore," he said. "I may not have been romantically into you, but we were friends for the longest time. Your family can be wished back!"

"Dragon Balls…" she muttered, a spark of hope reigniting the flame in her heart. "But what about Niuno and Sargomel?"

"They'd be willing to wait. The Dragon Balls can be used once every year, and I'm sure they'd rather wish back everyone killed by Frieza. We just gotta kill him when my dad says it's safe."

"What? Why is the recharge time important? What do you mean 'just gotta kill him'. That's Frieza you're talking about!" Ruco exclaimed, sitting up.

He laughed nervously. "Well, we used the Dragon Balls to fix earth, and I… sorta killed Piccolo, who was stronger than Frieza."

"I always knew our gap in power would always be expanding, but that's ridiculous! How?" she asked loudly.

Goku steeled his face. "I'm a Super Saiyan now," He held a hand out to her. "Come on, I came here to bring you outta here. Let's go eat breakfast and blow up some Red Ribbon bases."

Blood rushed to her cheeks. Ruco was under the impression nothing could make him more attractive after what he had done until now. "Yeah, okay, sure."

She was baffled. A year of depression, only for him to waltz in and dispel all of her worries. Not only that, she now held hope.

The young man smiled, helping her to her feet. "So looks like we're both in the business for new threads!"

Ruco giggled. "Yeah, I've been meaning to ask if you were okay like that. Looks a little snug!"

"Yours look like you've been thrown in a meat grinder," he retorted, moving toward the door.

"Oh. One more thing."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being so cool about this, Goku. I honestly thought we'd never be able to be friends again."

"Me too!"

They laughed, exiting the chamber.


	24. Chapter 24: Confidentiality

Of all the wacky and creative techniques Goku had witnessed in his life, Kami's ability to materialize clothing from nothing was probably the craziest thing he'd seen. Almost as soon as he and Ruco had left the Time Chamber, he was able to fashion and procure new threads exactly to their liking. Goku was in an orange gi with a pair of Saiyan boots and a body glove, and Ruco in a replica of her armor. The boy just wanted something more comfortable.

Goku, having an empty stomach, immediately went back to the dining room. Ruco had gone to organize her things aboard the ship. As he neared the door, he heard his mother.

"I don't get it! Just tell me where my son is, I don't want to be surprised!"

Bulma laughed. "Trust us, trust us! It's better to wait and see for yourself."

"Mother, I suggest you listen," Raditz said with a smirk. "Goku will be back any moment now."

"I guess it's now!" he cried, stepping into the room with his arms wide. A sneeze of surprise was heard, but was hardly registered in favor of savoring the mother's reaction. Gine's look of shock entertained them all to no end.

She blinked rapidly, her thoughts running at a mile a minute. "You've uh- You've put on a few inches since I last saw you."

"I know!" he exclaimed.

Gine sighed, rushing toward him to tightly embrace him. "Do you know how glad I am you're okay?"

"You fell asleep making sure I didn't explode, so yeah!"

OxOxO

The catching up proceeded for a good hour, with everyone leaving with a full belly. It was odd, they had fallen into a routine of banter and merriment that felt familiar. However, as anyone could have pointed out, they'd never spent extensive downtime together. Not as a full group, and not without the threat of death or some other seemingly impossible problem looming over them.

Eventually, almost everyone had filtered out, Tarble the last to leave. The majority of the Earthlings and Goku were eager to get down to the planet and see what needed rebuilding and destroying. Raditz and Launch were eventually left on the Lookout with Kami and Popo, with everyone else at Capsule Corporation's thought to be ruins.

Launch, who was her blue-haired self, had elected to stay due to her low alcohol tolerance. Her blonde half, somehow, had a much higher one, which meant that occasionally she would accidentally drink her blue-haired self silly.

Raditz lingered for fear she would take a nasty mimosa-induced tumble off of the Lookout.

"I don't understand why you don't just sneeze to become blonde again. Then I wouldn't have to babysit you," he said.

"Because I hate being her," she slurred, slumping onto the table.

"You hate yourself?" Raditz asked aloud to the inebriated woman.

Launch shook her head. "Uh uh. I hate being her, not her. When I change, 'is like I disappear. Like I'm sleeping."

He scoffed. "There are many who would give anything for the ability to lose themselves."

"But then I wouldn't get to be here with you," she mumbled into the table. "Uh oh… I totally just said that out loud..."

Raditz snickered at her. "You sure did. That was perhaps the cheesiest line I've ever heard."

"It wasn't a line," she grumbled, her cheeks blushing into a level beyond that of her tipsy state.

His eyes went wide, his merriment cut short. "What?"

"Not a line."

"Oh."

"Well I guess that cat's out of the bag," she muttered. "Y'know what? If there's one thing I've learned from this apocalypse stuff, it's that life is short."

A small part of Raditz felt inclined to inform her of his long lifespan, but he bit his tongue. He was intrigued as to what her next words would be. His heart pounded in his chest. "That's something I've learned as a soldier."

Launch dug deep within herself, grasping desperately at a mere trace of her blonde self's courage. "Do you..?"

Although his own cheeks were burning, he smirked at her. "Do I what?"

"Y'know…"

"I don't," he snickered.

"Stop teasing me," she giggled. "It's taking a lot of courage to try and come out and say this."

"So spit it out," he said playfully.

"I'm having trouble. It's hard to not rely on my blonde self to say something I want to say," she quietly said.

Raditz waved his hands in front of him. "Ah, I'm sorry, I meant no offense."

She snickered. "You're… really funny. I'm trying to say…"

"That you wish to court me?" he said quickly. Immediately he wished he hadn't said that. Oh gods, what if-

"If that's the alien way to say dating, then yes…" she said, causing him immediate relief. "Feel free to say no. I may not be able to walk five feet when I drink, but I'm coherent. I've lost way too much to hesitate with something like this…"

"What…" he began, swallowing hard. "What would your blonde half say?"

"I know that half of me must feel the same about you. I… know this must be extremely weird, considering I'm-"

"What? Two people? Not to me, that's where I disagree with the blonde you. You're two halves of the same coin."

Launch made a laugh of relief. Finally, someone _got her. Someone_ understood her, and her viewpoint of herself. "You never gave me an answer."

Raditz smirked. "I know. I was stringing you along in return. Obviously it's yes," he said, delighting in her relief. "I do have some conditions, however."

"Oh," Launch mumbled. "It's not something creepy is it? Like you want me-"

"Nothing like that!" he barked embarrassedly. "Id prefer to keep us a secret. Saiyan culture frowns upon intermingling with those from other races. Even I was disgusted when I learned my cousins were halfbreeds."

"What?" Launch was suddenly having second thoughts, and Raditz picked up on that.

"No, no, not anymore. All of this business involving the Super Saiyan God is... causing me to doubt my beliefs."

"Then… Then why the secrecy?"

"Because I'm not sure if my family has had their eyes opened the way I have," he said ignorantly. "Particularly my father, who has no idea any of this Namek or Earth stuff has transpired."

Launch looked downward before staring at him with intensity unheard of in the inebriated. "As long as it's temporarily, I agree. But you've got to promise me that the moment you don't feel for me anymore, you'll tell me and we'll split up. I am not going to waste what little life I have left chasing a lost cause."

Raditz smirked devilishly. "You do the same, and I believe we've come to a mutual agreement."

OxOxO

Goku was frankly surprised as he surveyed the intact Capsule Corporation compound. "Shoot, you told us this all got destroyed, Bulma!"

"It- It was," Bulma said. "The wish must've restored the buildings too."

"That was nice of Porunga," Goku muttered. "So this is where you lost your parents, huh?"

"Yeah. Last time I was here, the main building was crashing down around me. I'm certain they died here."

Goku's nose crinkled as cigarette smoke hit his nostrils full force. "Ugh. Do you smell that? Smells like Master Roshi's wacky tobacky…"

Bulma stopped dead in her tracks, whipping around with a flabbergasted look on her face. "What? What the hell is that?"

"You know, the stuff you put into a pipe and burn. Smells terrible!" he exclaimed. "Wacky tobacky."

She found it very hard to believe he'd never heard of tobacco. On second thought, Bulma supposed it would make sense for advanced aliens to think of recreational activities that wouldn't slowly kill them.

She sighed. "It's called tobacco, and…" her nose caught wind of the scent as well. "That's a cigarette, not pipe-"

Bulma only knew one genius stupid enough to smoke after being resurrected.

"You okay?" he muttered, covering his nose. "I can go check it out if the memories-"

"Can you sense anyone inside?"

"I was going to keep it a surprise, but… Yeah, two people and some sorta small animal are in your house."

"That's gotta be my parents…" she said, hardly believing it herself. Bulma let out an excited squeal before rushing into the dusty complex. "Mom! Dad! Scraaaaatch!"

Goku followed her into the dark and dusty dome, making sure to keep a good distance. After all, he didn't want to intrude upon their reunion. He absentmindedly lit a small glowing orb to rest upon his palm. As he came upon where Bulma had stopped, he caught the tail end of a conversation.

"So we were really dead?" An incredibly confident and competent voice said. "I suppose it's not out of the question. Normal has been redefined in the past few years."

Goku came into the room to see the speaker was Bulma's father. He wore a lab coat and thick rimmed glasses. The man's hair was similar to Bulma's, but he had a thick bushy moustache where she had none. A Pygmy black cat, most likely Scratch, sat perched on his shoulder. In his mouth was a smoking cigarette.

"Oh, Yamcha!" the blonde woman taller than him cried. Her eyes seemed glued shut. "I like what you've done with your hair!"

Bulma's sobbing was interrupted by a chuckle. "No, actually, this is Goku. He's responsible for saving the Earth, more or less."

Her dad looked the strange Saiyan up and down. "Ahh… The extra-terrestrial monkey boy."

"Please don't call me a monkey," Goku requested. "I don't mind it much, but my brother and the rest of my race consider that term crazy racist."

He nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. It's the least I can do after you've brought me back from the dead!"

Goku snapped his fingers at him. "It was really a group effort! Bulma can tell you all about it. I'll leave you guys to catch up as a family. Red Ribbon robots to break and what not."

Panchy shook her head. "No, you have to stay for a snack! I insist!"

"We have no snacks," Doctor Briefs reminded his wife; kissing her on the cheek. "Ah, my forgetful wife, how I've missed you."

"You should stay," Bulma insisted. "As far as I'm concerned, you're an honorary Briefs."

Goku shrugged, backing up toward the exit. "If there's no snacks, I might as well help take down that Red Ribbon remnant that Launch said was near here. It'll be safer in the long run!"

Bulma watched with disappointment as he turned around it booked it up the stairs. "Aaaaand there he goes."

"Not much of a talker, is he?" her father remarked. "You've never been one for dating social butterflies."

"I'm not dating him, dad! He's like fifteen!" Bulma cried.

Doctor Briefs shrugged after his daughter stormed out of the room.

OxOxO

Gine and Bardock had always gone for long stretches of time without seeing each other- that was just a fact of their life. This time, though, seemed utterly hopeless. She tried to put on a strong face around those she was tasked with looking after, but she found it increasingly difficult as the hours without her life mate drew on.

The silence on the Lookout after everyone had gone to sleep or left to clean up earth was near unbearable.

That was until her personal communicator went off, Bardock's ringtone blaring. Her heart skipped a beat as she rolled over to reach it, pressing the button to answer the call.

"Bardock?" she whispered, her desperate tone shocking herself.

"Yeah, it's me. I can't talk for long though, so I need you to listen," he said without skipping a beat.

"Okay, I'm all ears."

"You guys need to keep laying low. I'm sorry for leaving you guys with such a vague idea of what's going on, but it's for your safety. Gine, I need you and the others to stay wherever you are until I contact you again. Got it?"

She nodded. "Yes, I understand."

"Good. I love you."

Gine was unable to reply before the transmission cut out.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait, buds. Life happens. I hope you enjoyed this!

Discord server is 4CC5VC6


	25. Chapter 25: Taking Their Leave

Goku bit his lip, wiping his brow of sweat. He frowned, taking in the endless dirt field that used to be an abandoned suburb. "Is this smooth enough for you?"

Bulma took a moment to take off her safety goggles and observe the work before answering. "Yeah. Great work, Goku!"

He gave a swift nod and walked towards her portable bunker. Being the creator of the flat mass behind him, he was certain a metal box wouldn't stand up to his full power. Lucky for her, he had no intention of testing his theory. Neither did he have any inkling in telling her of such a possibility.

Bulma nodded once more, staring down at her digital checklist. "Alright! We just have to get some crews down here to excavate the old sewer system to make room for the new. I haven't seen a neater demolition job since we were captured by Pi-"

Goku raised an eyebrow as she looked up, frozen like a deer in headlights. "Oh, Pilaf?" he asked after a pause. "I like to think I'm a bit more neat when it's not a full moon."

She took a seat on the dirt with her legs crossed. Without a word or prompting, he did the same.

Bulma sighed deeply, deep in her mind's ramblings. "So you know about that now. Do you know about..?"

"My grandpa?" He asked. Her cerulean eyes gave him a signal that could only be received as an affirmation. "Yup."

"I'm sorry, Goku…" she mumbled.

Goku flashed her his signature smirk. "Nah, it's all okay. I've done a lot of thinking about it. It was hard to accept, but it wasn't my fault. It's extremely rare for a saiyan to be born with control over the great ape transformation."

Suddenly, something clicked in the young woman's mind. Something that left the genius feeling stupid, wondering why it hadn't occurred to her earlier. "That's a regular trait for your species?"

"Yeah," he sighed, nodding. "as long as we have a tail, we transform under the full moon."

"So we have a city full of weregorillas right now?!"

He brought his arms down to the ground behind him and shook his head. "It's not a problem. We're trained for moon discipline, trying to keep an eye on the moon phases and stuff. The earth's cycle is one of the smallest I've ever seen, so we'll have to be careful!"

Bulma had about two dozen questions she wanted to ask, but she managed to calm herself down before asking them all in a rapid fire manner. "How does your home planet still exist with great apes running around?"

"Planet Vegeta only has a full moon once every sev…" he brought his hands in front of him, counting to be sure. "Uhhhh… Eight. Pretty sure they only happen every eight years."

It was clear to her that Saiyans didn't need to transform into a great ape in order to be strong. Goku was miles ahead of anything on earth in terms of strength, even before he had been brought back to his home planet.

"Can you control it?"

"Not really. Occasionally I can, but it just feels really weird. Everything is all fuzzy and heavy. It reminds me of… the time I accidentally took a sip from my dad's cup." he said, chuckling to himself.

Bulma joined him in giggling. The merriment didn't last for long, however. Goku sprang up, looking behind them and toward the horizon. A speck in the distance was careening towards them haphazardly.

"What's going on?" Goku asked casually, before the dust had settled. Bulma could only stand her ground and hope nothing important was blown away.

"You've gotta hurry!" Boston cried, gripping onto Goku's pants. Tears and snot dripped down his swollen and bloodied face. "It got Bibi! Come on!"

A switch flicked inside of Goku, and Bulma took note. His carefree aura was uprooted by a serious one. Boston caught something flicked toward him. "Eat that and let's go. Bulma, can you call for backup?"

She nodded and fumbled around in her pockets as Boston chewed loudly. Before she could blink, Goku had grabbed his cousin and blasted off in the direction the latter had come from. The elder saiyan was mindful of just how nauseous Boston was becoming, so he made sure his stop was a gradual one. Conveniently, it also gave him ample time to size up his opponent.

He was a gruff looking red man in white PTO battle armor that was clearly not regulation, as each shoulder pad had two spikes protruding from them. He was twice the size of Goku. His smirk and scar were identical to his father's, but Bardock wouldn't be caught dead with a long braid for a hairstyle.

It was odd to Goku, as soon as he neared, both Bibi and the red guy stopped fighting. He pressed the button on his red scouter as soon as Goku's boots touched the ground. Boston rushed to his sister, who had collapsed.

"Give her this," Goku said evenly, tossing a bean to Boston.

The red guy glanced at Boston. "You were right, he has no power level."

Bibi wiped her nose, smearing blood across her face. "Get him, Amond. I'm tired of this planet."

Amond cracked his neck. "Don't worry, it'll be over soon. This little twig may look like the boss, but there's no way he can compare to the power of the tree's fruit."

Goku merely stood idly, trying to grasp the situation. While he was distracted, several punches made their way to his gut. Amond even landed one to his lip that caused him to cut his lip on his razor-sharp saiyan canine.

"Haha! Looks like super saiyans are worse than fruit!" Boston cried, jumping up and pumping his fist.

Spitting out blood, the seemingly battered Goku slowly fell into a fighting stance. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't sorta see something like this coming. I'm going to give you one chance to leave, Almond. There's too much for me to do here."

"Big talk coming from such a tiny guy," Amond retorted. "And it's Amond, Carrot."

"It's Goku," he said, shooting forward and delivering a punch to Amond's stomach. The armor shattered around his fist, leaving a near perfect circle.

"H-he's faster than you told me!" Amond cried as he created a buffer between himself and the saiyan.

Bibi bit her lip slightly. "Just power up and finish it!"

She clearly meant Amond, but Goku took heed of her advice as well. As the red alien was crouching down and gathering his energy, he tried to tap into even a microscopic drop of the power he had felt while under the effects of the Super Saiyan God ritual...

But nothing came.

Amond was on him in an instant, gripping the sides of his head tightly. Before he had a chance to let out a cry, his cousins swooped in and detonated energy blasts on him, sending him flying back.

Goku would have liked to claim he was unscathed, but that wasn't he truth. He was confident he could come out on top in this situation, but he was not happy to learn he was unable to transform at will. Right before his three assailants could attempt to lay hands on him, he lashed out with his energy. It was time to go all out.

Goku closed the distance, socking Amond in the jaw as soon as he could. Of course, it was miles swifter than his uncle's lackey could comprehend. Boston and Bibi unleashed a flurry of hands and feet upon him, but he dodged every single strike they aimed to make. When they paused to take a breath, he launched a non-lethal blast at each of them before cupping his hands at his side.

"Kaaaaaaameeeeee…" he began.

Amond sat up, his eyes wide.

"Haaaaaaameeeee…" he continued, blue energy crackling between his palms. His target didn't need to read his power level to feel the sheer power emanating from him.

"Ha!" He cried, shooting his wave forwards.

Amond raised his hands in the shape of a wedge, firing a blast meant to pierce Goku's beam. He barely succeeded, the Kamehameha wave forking off just in front of him. Stressed barely described how he felt in this moment.

"You don't look half as powerful as you are…" he panted.

"Thanks a bunch!" Goku shouted, hopping upwards and loosening his boots. In midair, he did the splits, kicking off his footwear completely. Each weighted shoe hit their mark, his cousins. They groaned and grunted, attempting to free themselves, but the force of the boots proved too much. Now it was just him and Amond.

Said for chuckled. "Not like I needed the help of those brats anyhow!"

Goku took a deep breath, steeling himself. "That's not true. The only reason you're still alive is because of them. I don't know how important you are in their eyes."

Amond sneered, reaching for the pocket of his baggy pants. "You won't know until you're well on your way to Turles," he said, pulling a strip of tasty looking dried fruit from his pocket. He quickly devoured it as Goku could only watch in confusion and jealousy. He was hungry too. All of a sudden, the red alien bulked up to about twice his normal size before just as quickly reverting. "The boss isn't gonna like this. To think I had to use the last of my share of the fruit against his weakling nephew!"

He had no idea if he was in trouble. Amond's current energy output would have startled him pre-Namek, he knew that for sure. However, he still had no idea how his retained Divine energy scaled to Mortal energy, let alone how much he had retained from his transformation. All he could count on was his abilities.

Goku skimmed the ground on his bare feet, approaching the powered-up Amond with his knees out. Said opponent took the bait, as when he raised his guard, Goku unfolded his legs and delivered swift kicks to just under his crossed arms. After this, he didn't let up. All of his limbs made contact a few times before he realized Amond was brushing all of his attacks off as if he were being struck by an insect.

"What happened to all that confidence, boy?" Amond asked, cracking his knuckles. Just as soon as the last pop was heard, he began to return Goku's favor with a counterattack. The young saiyan couldn't even attempt to dodge, so he was resigned to tanking every single one.

One of his worst fears was confirmed just then. He couldn't call upon the power of the Super Saiyan God transformation by himself. At least not at the moment. A truth was also revealed to him. One that excited him as a saiyan, but terrified him as the Earth's protector. He couldn't rely on the God transformation.

"Kaaaaameeeeehaaaameeeee…" he panted, cupping his hands. "HAAA!"

Amond merely laughed as the blue light flashed, completely lowering his guard. "You already tried that trick! What makes you think it'll work this time?!"

However, as he discovered by the burning sensation on his entire face, Goku had not tried the same trick. He had taken advantage of his lack of detectable energy, only pretending to use a lot of it. In reality he had fired a weak beam. Most of his energy had gone to a sizeable orb he had used to skate along his Kamehameha wave, detonating it in Amond's face.

Goku let out a yelp when on his way past Amond, he grasped him by the ankle. Before he could attempt to escape, the red invader twisted his foot as hard as he could. It made a myriad of crunches and pops as his ankle began to swell. Instinctively, just as chills ran down his spine, he sent an adrenaline fueled kick with his good foot directly into Amond's head, knocking him over.

He retreated, taking his moment to hide and inspect his situation. Goku hissed as he observed his dislocated right foot. Even though it had only been seconds, it was already puffy and swollen, taking on a sickly purple and yellow coloration. Lucky for him, his training included minor first aid. Closing his eyes and bracing himself, he popped his foot back into place. It wasn't usable in a fight, but it was better to have it in place as opposed to flipping around.

Judging by his sixth sense, Amond was fooling around behind him, searching for him. He supposed he could take a moment to catch his breath. His stomach growled reminding him of a possible way to get out of the situation. Goku reached into the folds of his gi, pulling out the pouch full of Senzu beans and devouring one. His hunger from a lack of lunch and his wounds fully disappeared. The boost he received from healing wasn't much, but it was still a boost.

He stood up and leapt over his cover, rocketing toward Amond feet forward. Amond smirked devilishly, holding his hands out. Just as planned, he caught Goku by the feet, throwing his arms outward, splitting his legs and by extension, his guard, wide open. Without skipping a beat, Goku charged a great deal of the energy he had into a blue sphere between his cupped palms.

Amond realized the trouble he was in. Goku had taken a huge gamble, one that he had won.

"Ha!" The young saiyan cried, unleashing his mostly wordless Kamehameha directly into his opponent's face. Immediately, his grip went slack and Goku's feet were freed. He dropped to the ground, clearing the smoke with a kiai. It smelled horribly of burnt flesh and hair, and the reason as to why became perfectly clear as Amond's corpse fell. All that remained of his head was a blackened skull barely connected by tough tissue.

Goku turned his head to glare at his cousins without moving his body. "You've got some explaining to do to me."

Boston's lip trembled in fear. He tossed a beeping scouter to his cousin. He accepted it and affixed to his ear.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't kill my children as well," a cold voice told him.

"I didn't want to kill anyone today, but he left me no choice, Uncle Turles," he said evenly. His heart, in actuality, was pounding out of his chest. He'd heard nothing but terrible things from this side of his family.

"I didn't want anyone getting killed today, Kakarot."

"Is that why you sent this red goon after me?"

Turles sighed. "I didn't send anyone after you. Amond was dispatched to pick my children up, not you."

"I- what?"

"I've no intention of quarreling with either you or your father anymore. I'm not ashamed to admit Super Saiyans are out of my league…"

Goku stopped himself from inquiring further. What Turles meant by Super Saiyans plural, he had not a clue. He glanced to the side trying to remember if his father ever did a ritual like he had done, but came up short.

"Good, I'd hate to lose family."

"Send my children on their way, my dear nephew. I'm sure they're scared enough to want to go of their own volition. Believe me, they have a punishment awaiting them. I cannot believe that they got the man I sent to retrieve them wrapped up in their affairs and killed."

It was odd. His uncle reminded him of a less gruff version of his father, but he supposed that made sense. Goku hung up on him almost immediately by crushing the scouter in his hand.

Bibi finally managed to heave and slide the boot off of her. She rolled over, out of breath completely. "We'll leave, we'll leave!"

Goku nodded. "Glad we're in agreement. Where's your ship?"

"They don't work anymore, which is why dad sent Amond," Boston groaned. Bibi rushed to him and tried to remove the boot pressing him into the earth.

Goku blinked in response to their stupidity. He recognized his own lack of brainpower, but man, these kids were dumb. "Okay, then where's his ship?"

Bibi pointed behind her. "A few kilometers that way."

He briskly put his boots on and grabbed each of them by the collar, rushing in the direction she pointed to. It was a small trip, and before they knew it, they had arrived. Goku set them down in the pod and closed the hatch. It looked way more advanced than the ones on Vegeta. Ruco would probably get a kick out of seeing it.

"Bye, guys. Sorry you couldn't kidnap me."

"We'll be back when the war is over!" Boston cried.

"Yeah!" Bibi added, even louder.

Goku merely raised an eyebrow. "War? What war?"

They opened their mouths to answer, but it was too late. The pod took off, leaving Goku in the dust.

"What?" He repeated, his words echoing in the wasteland.


	26. Chapter 26: Surprise!

Goku nearly crashed into Raditz flying back to Capsule Corporation. The brothers wordlessly floated down to the ground when they were able to avoid one another. Raditz, the elder had a much more difficult time, as from his perspective, something was careening toward him at breakneck speed.

"Goku? What happened?" Raditz panted. "I came as soon as I could!"

It seemed to be true, given his state of undress. Or rather, dress. Raditz was wearing human clothes, and pants no less!

"Yeah, yeah, it's all good. I'm sorry I nearly hit you," he said, dismissing his worry with a wave. "What's with the pants?"

Raditz stared him down blankly. There was a time and a place, and now was neither. "Goku, was there a conflict or not? Bulma told me that Boston came for assistance all bloodied up. She went to go get the others."

"Yeah, there was, but I took care of it," he answered truthfully. "I was coming back to show everyone this," he said, throwing down a Hoi Poi to the ground.

With a puff of smoke, a lavish white coffin appeared at their feet.

"What in the fuck is this, Goku?"

Goku answered, showing him the fuck that rested inside. Amond's body with a handkerchief over what was left of his face.

"What in the FUCK is this, Goku?!" Raditz repeated, more frantically.

"One of uncle Turles' men. He sent him here to pick up Boston and Bibi, but they tricked him into trying to catch me. They left, scared of me. I wanted to see if you recognized him, just in case we need to revive him."

Raditz crouched down, lifting the cloth over the dead man's face. He immediately placed it back over the charred skull, looking at his brother incredulously. "I can't recognize someone who doesn't have a face!"

"He said his name was Amond. Does that ring a bell?"

He sighed. "Yeah, yeah it does. He's one of Turles' top lieutenants! He was a famous criminal even before joining the Crusher Corps."

"I take it we shouldn't revive him then."

"Yes, that's right," Raditz sighed. He brought out a communicator from his pocket and pressed a few buttons on it. "Can I ask you something, brother?"

"Hm?"

"Why the hell were you carrying around a coffin capsule?!"

Goku shrugged.

OxOxO

"Good news, everyone!" Goku cried as he strolled into the kitchen of Capsule corporation. "I'm no longer the victim of kidnapping attempts. Boston and Bibi have left for home," before anyone could respond he pulled a Capsule out of his pocket. "Here you go, Bulma. Don't open that," he warned, tossing it to her.

She caught it, holding with two fingers limply as if it were a rotting sack of something. "Ever?"

"Ever…" Raditz sighed, downing a glass of water.

Gine couldn't help but look concerned. "Are they going to be alright? They may be Turles' kids but they're still kids…"

"I made sure they left safely," Goku assured her, walking over to the fruit basket next to the fridge. "I bet they'll be back though. They were going on about some war."

"Probably some pirate territory dispute that Turles' needed extra hands for. I'd wager land is more important to him than capturing you." Tarble suggested.

Goku shrugged, scarfing down an apple. "I also figured out that I can't turn into a Super Saiyan God on command. We'll have to be prepared in advance to use it again."

"We can't do that in the immediate future, though. We're only a single saiyan short!" Ruco exclaimed.

Bulma smiles devilishly, chuckling to herself. "Not for long…"

"Bulma, you're scaring me. Whaddya mean by that?" Goku said.

Raditz sighed loudly, throwing his arms outward. "I guess the cat's out of the bag. Yes, Launch and I are courting. I suppose there will be a final Saiyan for the ritual soon enough!"

The blonde haired launch went beet red. "What happened to all that secrecy shit?"

"Ah, no, actually, your mom's pregnant," Bulma revealed. "But, um, congratulations you two?"

Goku was elated. "Wow! Really? I've always wanted to be a big brother!"

"It's- It's not all it's cracked up to be," he embarrassedly muttered while Launch glared at him.

Gine sighed, taking a seat. "I wasn't planning on telling you all this soon."

A somber air of unsurety fell upon the group. No one other than the woman herself spoke up.

"We don't have trained Saiyan doctors or advanced medical equipment here. I don't know if I or the baby will survive."

Goku came forward, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, mom, don't talk like that. We've got Bulma, and a healing tank on the ship."

"Healing tanks are only useful for healing wounds and other superficial injuries. They can't exactly restore lost blood or perform surgery," Raditz explained. "There hasn't been a live Saiyans birth in decades, so she's right to be a little anxious."

"You're scaring me, Raditz," Goku said.

"If you can teach me all you know, I'm sure I can combine it with my human medical knowledge. I only wish you had said something sooner so I could have a head start!" Bulma cried.

Gine exhaled in an attempt to calm herself. "You're all right, I suppose. I've just been awfully worried lately. Between Bardock and everything else, I've had no time to think things through, only fret."

"That's no good for the baby," Bulma held a hand out to her. "Come on, let's go to the medical ward and get what we can sorted out."

Grinning, Gine stood up to follow her with seemingly sudden confidence. "Okay, let's. There's no reason to cry over milk that hasn't even been spilt," she declared, following the blue haired woman of science out of the room.

Tarble sighed wistfully, taking a sip from his glass of milk. "It's too bad my fiancée and I are incompatible. I'd love children."

Ruco giggled into her hand as Yamcha could only muster up a single "What?"

OxOxO

A few weeks later was a monumental day in Goku's memory. He had arrived back at Capsule Corporation from a construction job to find every single one of his friends. No one was out, which was a rare thing indeed in the middle of the day. However, as he perceptively noticed, the lights were all off. Additionally, no energy within was moving.

He went close enough to activate the automatic door to the living room, taking a step inside. Goku was about to call out into the darkness, but was beaten to the punch.

"Surprise!" everyone yelled in unison as the lights flashed on. "Happy Birthday!"

All of his friends wore polka dotted party hats. The entire room was decorated colorfully with banners, balloons, and streamers. In the center of the room, a large white cake sat patiently. It had the number sixteen on it.

Before he could even attempt to stop them, tears came to his eyes. "You guys… It's my birthday?"

Gine came forward, hugging him. "Goku, we've celebrated your birthday every year since you came to Vegeta."

"Well yeah, but I never knew what it was on Earth. This is… more important to me than any of you can realize," he said, sniffling as tears fell freely. "I've always wanted to know!"

"I know this party can never come close to paying the debt this planet owes you, but I hope you enjoy it," Bulma said.

Goku wiped his tears. He was thoroughly planning on it.

OxOxO

Raditz and Launch walked side by side through the bustling New West City. She held his hand, her blonde curls bouncing with ever step she took.

"Say what you will about this weakling race, they certainly are resilient," Raditz chuckled, putting his free hand into his pocket. And they were. Society was running fairly smoothly.

"How's this for a weakling?" she grumbled, grabbing the tail he used as a belt tightly.

He fell to the ground like a sack of bricks, all the hairs on his body standing on end. "Unhand my tail!"

"Whenever you stop being a little-" Launch tilted her head backwards, unleashing a monstrous sneeze. "bitch. Sorry. You touched a nerve."

He rolled over. "You remember your other half's actions?"

"I… guess I do now! I don't know how, but something over the past months since meeting you has changed inside of me."

Raditz stood up and embraced her. "That's amazing news!"

She snickered. "Maybe it's because both halves can finally agree on something."

"What's that?" he asked quietly, averting his eyes and blushing. He clearly knew the answer.

"I love you," she told him, moving upward for a kiss.


	27. Chapter 27: Fortunes and Divination

The nineteen year old took a single step outside of Capsule Corporation's massive company gymnasium. Even after several years, the sheer amount of cars on the road made him want to puke knowing he had to drive through that.

Goku sighed just as he did every time the city's hustle and bustle managed to make him lose him patience, elevating himself with his ki control. Before the honking of a traffic jam could bombard him once more, he flew up and away from his car and toward the Capsule Corporation compound where he, Bulma's family, and a few others resided. Speaking of which, the blue haired genius would undoubtedly give him flak for just up and flying away.

True enough to his luck, she was out in the yard testing some sort of contraption. It was solar powered if the black panels on top were any indication of such. Anyone would have a hard time stealing her attention when she was engrossed in a gadget. Except for Goku. Her focus was all his just before his boots hit the ground.

"Why did you fly here?" she asked, hand on her hip. The knowing look she had gave away that she knew the reason exactly. Goku just figured she was giving him the chance to explain himself.

"Traffic," he admitted after a pause.

Bulma set her tools down, massaging her temples. "I personally don't have any problems with your response to these things, but you've got to know that if someone sees you it's just going to bring attention, something I know you don't appreciate an excess of."

"I'm not an indoor cat," he whined.

"Then why do you stick around here?" she genuinely asked. "I know you don't like it."

He opened his mouth, his cheeks flushing. "Because of y-"

"Uhn uhm." Someone muttered. Bulma whipped around to find an incredibly tiny girl peeking out from behind her invention.

"Bete! You scared me!"

As the ends of her long hair curled every which way, she shoved her bangs out of the way. "Mmn. Sorry," she mumbled in apology.

Goku walked forward and picked her up, embracing her. They smiled at each other. "How you doing today, sis?" As usual, he was the only one able to get a verbal response from her, even if it was lacking.

"Good. I played with Raditz and Launch today," she answered.

"How are they doing?" Bulma asked.

Bete, rather than responding, buried her face deep in her brother's shoulder. Goku shrugged at Bulma. His sister whipped around and stared at her, silent as a library after the apocalypse.

"If I had to guess I'd say pretty good. They're with things they love after all. Alcohol and each other."

"Their bar's sign is pretty," Bete whispered to her brother.

"Yeah, when it's not broken…" Bulma snickered playfully.

Goku shrugged. "They're doing the best they can without dirty money."

"I'd invest in their business if they'd let me," Bulma said.

"Raditz is the only one in my family not mooching off of you," he chuckled, but it abruptly ended with him feeling guilt.

Bulma help up a perfectly manicured hand to stop him. "You're not mooching in the slightest. I consider it payment for your constant and vigilant protection."

He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head with his free arm. "Hah. Come on, it's been pretty quiet lately."

"Entirely thanks to you," was her rebuttal.

"What about Ruco and Tarble? They've been giving it their all training with Kami and Popo to lessen my burden, which is practically nonexistent in the first place."

Bulma gasped. "That reminds me! Mister Popo was over earlier to cook with my mom and he told me about a fortune teller. I'll get you her address and you can see if she can warn us before anything bad happens."

"That's perfect!" Goku nodded like a bobblehead, setting down his sister.

She immediately objected, whining and grasping upward for his hands. He raised an eyebrow at her as he scooped her up. "You want to get your fortune read?"

Bete shook her head, her hair flopping about. "I have to find out how Cowa ends," she told him, with conviction the likes he had never seen before.

It was an uphill battle for Goku to fight his smirk. "I'm not so sure you can handle it. Who knows how dangerous the trip may be."

"If you can't handle it, I will," she mumbled. Goku and Bulma burst out laughing. Bete pouted, cupping her hands near Goku's ears and whispered into them.

"Got the address for me?" he asked, relaying his sister's message.

One could practically hear the gears clicking in her head as she tried to recall. "FS 199644 CC."

"Do you… have an XYZ coordinate?" Goku asked, scratching the top of his head.

Bulma sighed in annoyance, contemplating the merits of an invention that would boost the intelligence of everyone around her. "I'll go grab a gps…" she grumbled.

OxOxO

Bete adored her older brothers, but she absolutely could not stand the speed at which they flew. She clung to Goku's back for dear life, wrapping her tail around his torso so tightly it even pained him. Both siblings were relieved when he landed at the edge of the lake. Beyond the entrance tunnel was a bridge in front of them leading to a sizable palace in the middle of the water.

"Huh. Looks like we aren't the only ones here looking to get their fortunes read."

Two huge lines of people rested upon the bridge. One heading toward the palace with excited and smiling faces, and another coming toward the siblings with utter defeat written on their mugs. There was a clear difference in status between the two lines. The sadder people were wearing either in plain clothes and rags or buff and battered. The happier group were in extravagant suits and dresses.

Goku had a bad feeling this would be costly.

Bete clung to her brother's leg as they got in line. Naturally, he relieved her feet of their strain so she wouldn't become lost in the sea of people.

Suddenly, the lines shifted and people cried out as they were shoved to the side. Someone was making a beeline to the end of the line, and by extension, a certain pair of furry tailed siblings. Much to their surprise, it wasn't a person, but a floating ghost with a happy face, a straw hat, and a high pitched voice.

"Fortune-teller Baba has been waiting for you, Goku. Out of the way, please!" the cheery poe cried.

"Thanks!" He cried.

Bete leaned to whisper in his ears. "She looks like a Cowa monster…"

"Anyone who doesn't let them pass will have to pay double, even in the alternative payment plans!" Instantly the people moved out of the way, cheerily ushering him forward.

The spirit led him to the edge of the bridge and into a dimly lit dome much cooler than the surrounding desert. Inside resided a small wrinkly witch with jowls sitting atop a floating crystalline orb with her hands clasped together.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you came here," she croaked. Baba hovered forward and brought her bony fist down hard on his head.

Goku was completely unprepared. He crouched down and grabbed the soon to be goose egg with his free hand. "Ouch! What was that for?!"

"When you brought all those people back to life, who do you think had to ferry the souls back here?!"

"I don't know!" he screamed.

"It was mainly poor old me! I earned nothing but magical strain! You had better not revive that many people at once or you'll receive much more than a smack to the noggin, sonny!"

Sighing and standing up, he rubbed the sore spot on his skull. "I'm here so that doesn't happen again. Are you skilled enough to see something like Piccolo or the Red Ribbon Army ahead of time?"

"Am I skilled enough!" She guffawed.

"Tee hee," was the ghost's response.

"I'll tell you right now when the next disaster will befall Earth," she confidently claimed

Goku smiled, his bruise forgotten. "Well that's great! Tha-"

"For ten million zeni."

Goku was gobsmacked. He'd never even seen a tenth of that in person. "You've got some good jokes…" he nervously chuckled. Baba's face remained scowling. "You're not joking… Uh… your ghost said something about an alternative payment plan?"

"Normally I'd have you battle with my fighters."

"Oh!" he exclaimed. In his mind, he had lucked out considerably.

"Buuuuuut…"

"Oh…"

"You're living with the richest family on earth. Pay me in cash, not blood, please."

Goku may have been skilled in many other pets of his life, but he had no sense for money. He just let Bulma handle finances. "I don't have any money."

"Right… you were trained by the simpleton Turtle Hermit. I bet you blew every zeni you've earned on dirty magazines!"

Goku raised an eyebrow. "I only trained under him for like a month. Listen, can I just fight your guys? Money isn't important to me, so I let other people handle it or give it away. I don't need it."

"Sure. Keep your face in front of the child, but I know a Turtle Student is always a Turtle Student! If I wasn't a clairvoyant I'd predict you were going to ask me which dirty video to rent!"

Bete timidly raised her hand. "C- I have- uhm, something to ask too."

Baba pursed her wrinkly lips, nodding. She was entirely encapsulated by the girl. To Goku, she even came off as distracted and entirely too agreeable all of a sudden. "Fine. I suppose I'll read two fortunes for the price of one. It's not every day I get to see someone who defeated Piccolo fight."

"Than-"

"Zip it. I'm only offering you this deal because of this lovely young lady. She reminds me of a younger me..." Baba explained, a twinkle in her eye.

"Thank you, but I can fly without a crystal ball…" she mumbled.

"That's not what I… No matter! Follow me, and we can begin the fighting. That is, if you're sure the two of you can take five on and come on top?" Baba asked, sneering at them. She motioned to a tunnel that led back outside, to a stone ring. "I'll only divine your futures if you somehow win. When you lose, come back with money!"

Goku nodded. "I can do it myself. Just watch Bete for me."

The first three fighters to meet him were wiped under the rug easily. Baba would praise something they specialized in, only for Goku to show he vastly outclassed him. He simply had to grab the scrawny vampire in midair when he turned into a bat, sense the invisible man, and outspeed the hulking mummy. The fortune teller seemed to be totally unfazed however.

"Well. There Goes Bandages," Baba said, smirking. "This next fighter will be your end, Goku."

Bete stood next to her, excitedly and silently cheering her brother on.

A man in a ridiculous devil onesie came out of the shadows of the Devil's Toilet.

"I am Baba's greatest full time fighter, a devil," he said. "If you don't concede right now, you forfeit your life."

Goku could only grin, hopeful this guy was true to his word. He'd love a challenge. "Not a chance I'll throw in the towel."

Spike smirked devilishly. "Let it be known that you have taken heed of my warning…"

Bete immediately cowered in concern.

"If this guy does kill me, just bring me back," he told her,

A look of horror came upon her face as she hid in her hair, but Goku had already turned to face the Devilman.

Spike the Devilman began to move his electrified hands in a showy fashion, one that was reminiscent of practice forms. "This is an Attack that would kill anyone here, save for the child," he said.

"Wha- Why are you going for your last resort now?! Stop this at once!" Baba cried. "Watching him die is not entertaining to me!"

"Bring it on," he said, dropping down into a low defensive position. Goku had not even the slightest intention in dodging.

"You damned fool! Get out of the way!"

"You should've listened! Devilmite Beam, hear my plea!" Energy foreign to goku spiraled from the demon's fingers, flashing and racing toward Goku's heart, only for it to fizzle out when it touched him.

He brushed it off, standing tall and laughing. "Whaddya know, that wasn't so bad after all. Not going to lie, I was a bit worried you were true to your word. We can't find the last Earth Dragon Ball, after all."

"What?!" Spike, Baba, and Bete cried simultaneously.

"That should've made contact with the evil in your heart, amplifying it until your most vital organ grew to the point of bursting! There's no way a fully grown adult doesn't have a little bit of evil in them. Becoming content to die in front of the child should have been enough!" Spike cried, grasping at his head. "Not even I am safe from the dark magic of the Devilmite Beam! Only-"

Spike froze, his blue skin going even paler. "What's wrong, you fool? You've won two World Martial Arts Tournaments! You can take him!"

The Devilman prostrated himself before Goku, nearly falling off of the tongue and into the lava. "I forfeit. The dark arts have no effect on the divine. He is not a child, so there is no other explanation."

Goku nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"That's absurd!" Baba squawked. "Tell him he's being absurd, Goku."

"Weeeeeeell…"

Baba groaned.

"I sorta did have to borrow a God's power to beat Piccolo. Kami said it somehow imprinted onto me. That's it, no one worships me or anything like that. I don't have any authority."

Spike stood up carefully. "Well… Looks like you don't exactly have the amount of pull in the universe as I thought. Shall we resume o-"

"Not so fast," Goku boredly said. Spike froze once more.

"You forfeited, you fool…" Baba groaned.

"Oh," he muttered.

Baba grumbled, but was over her anxiety in a moment. "No matter. I still have one warrior left, and I doubt you can defeat him. Up til now you've used only raw strength and no skill. Seems like a month of training and borrowed power have made you weak."

Goku wanted to inform her he was only moving slowly for her enjoyment, but he held his tongue. She did have some points, but he never slacked on training. He certainly hoped Baba was true to her word, but she had been proven a liar in the past.

Everyone was suddenly made aware of someone standing in the shadows behind Baba. Goku could smell something familiar on him, but couldn't quite pin it down. He wore traditional clothes, a halo, and a cheap looking rabbit… cat… mask that caused Goku to wonder whether or not Baba's costume budget had come to an end.

The fifth fighter proved himself to be an old man when he opened his mouth to speak. "Baba, let's move out to the ring. It's too cramped in here."

His only response was a grunt from Baba. Bete was well- being herself, but Goku was silent as he tried to figure out where he had met the man. Before he could, he found himself opposite the man.

Goku dropped down to a fighting stance, fully prepared that Baba was right. The masked man stood there expectantly. "Are you not going to bow to me?"

"Oh, right," he said, bowing to the man. He did the same, and then both fell into defensive stances. Goku hadn't bowed before a match in quite a while. Not very many opponents in the recent past were keen on manners.

The saiyan closed the distance, punching and kicking the man with controlled blows. Goku came back for an instant, and the favor was returned. He got some distance by kicking the old masked man away.

"You've got excellent form. Kaaaame… haaaame…" the old man said, cupping his hands at his sides.

Goku's saiyan blood was pumping fiercely. He could barely wait to jump up and dodge this attack. "Awesome! You can use the Kamehameha?" Weren't only the most capable Turtle students only able to use it after rigorous training?

"Ha!" was his reply. Goku leapt upwards to avoid it with a goofy grin on his face.

"Now that you're in the air you have nowhere to go!" he announced, just as Goku reached his climax in the air. He fired off another Kamehameha wave, only for Goku to lazily dodge it by moving to the side.

Goku put his hands on his hips. "That'd be true if I couldn't fly."

The old man relaxed, stroking his chin under the mask. "So you've done training with the Crane Hermit?"

He shook his head at the mysteriously familiar old man. "I've got no idea who that is. This is normal for my race. Even my sister can float a little bit."

"Your sister?!" He cried. "I was under the impression you had fathered a child."

"I get that a lot considering my dad isn't around right now," he said, floating down.

The old man was at a loss for words behind that mask. "I see. So you've finally found a place to belong, Goku."

"Yeah? Can we maybe finish this talk after the-" the distracted Goku felt firm hands on his tail, which was wrapped tightly around his waist. Instinctively he uncoiled it quickly, flinging his opponent out of the ring. Goku was kicking himself at letting his opponent get so close. "Now. Now we can talk. I've been dying to know, how in the heck do I know you? How do you know me?"

He lifted the mask away and discarded it, smiling with all the joy his bushy moustache and kind eyes could muster. "Now do you know?"

Goku's eyes lit up like a Saiyan battlefield. "Grandpa!" was all he could muster. Charging ahead faster than anyone could see, he embraced the old man and began to weep.

He patted his adopted grandson's back.

"There, there, Goku. You've got to act your age now, don't you? You've grown so big!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Goku cried, his face puffy and his nose dripping almost as much as his eyes. "I'm sorry that I killed you!"

Gohan's eyes went wide. "So you figured it out? Goku, I don't blame you at all for what happened. It was just an accident."

Goku sobbed and sighed loudly, falling to the ground. "That's so relieving! That's been eating away at a small part of me for the longest time!"

"So… you've reunited with your family?" he asked after Goku had calmed down a bit.

"Yeah," he replied, sniffing. "Come here for a bit, Bete!"

Said shy girl timidly approached, falling into her brother's lap. "Mn."

"Nice to meet you too, little one."

"That's Bete's way of saying hi. This is my grandpa, the one who adopted me when I first came to earth," he explained.

Gohan made a grunt of deep contemplation. "Hmmm. So you really were from the stars?"

"Yep. My dad came-"

Baba cleared her throat loudly. "This is very touching, but Gohan, I've got customers other than these two. Wouldn't you rather catch up when you've got the opportunity to meet the people in these stories he want to tell you?"

Gohan clapped a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "She's right. We should meet at a later date. I'm satisfied for now knowing you're happy and healthy."

Goku stood up, bowing to his foster parent. "Alright."

He chuckled. "The Goku I used to know would've searched high and low for a way to revive me permanently."

"I will, but I already made a promise to some other people."

Gohan didn't fully understand, but he nodded in agreement. "I'm ready to go back."

Baba raised her hands and performed an incantation, disappearing the dead man in a puff of smoke.

A final tear ran down Goku's face. Closure never felt so great. "I'll be back for you."

"Save the sappy stuff for the trip back. Give me a call when you're ready. He's only got twenty four hours of visiting time, and you used a couple."

"It was worth it."

"I'm glad," she said, fully proving to him she was a softie with a rough exterior.

Now, allow me to divine the nature of the next threat to the earth!" She cried, hopping off of her crystal ball and facing it. Baba muttered an incantation. Goku and his sister watched intently, only for their excitement to be quelled. "It's too foggy. I can't see a thing. I'll check every so often and bill it to you."

"Uh…"

"I'm only joking," she claimed. "I live on this planet, and I'm unable to give you a reading now. It's only fair."

"Thanks, Baba," he said, grinning.

Her wrinkly jowls went red. "Alright! What is the little one's desire to know?"

"Uhm, can- you uhm, find the last Dragon Ball?" she meekly asked, playing with her fingers the entire while. Goku was proud she had been able to say so much.

Baba nodded, waving her hands. "Alright. It's not moving nor does it appear to be fated to do so. Someone has it in some sort of special box. Let me write down the coordinates for you," she suggested, figuring the siblings had no space in their heads for remembering. Baba handed a notepad to him, waving him off. "Now get out of my hair."

"Bye, Baba!" Goku cried hovering off the ground. "You've been a big help."

"Wait!" she shouted. "I nearly forgot. Goku, it's in your best interests to show up at the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament. That's in only a few months. Be there."

Goku was unsure how to respond to the cryptic advice, so he just nodded and flew away. He had some soul searching to do. This day was an eventful one.


	28. Chapter 28: Crushed II

The tournament grounds on Papaya island were everything Goku expected and more. Thousands of martial artists and enthusiasts had shown up to see the greatest battles on the planet. Surprisingly, there were more people here than in his part of West City, but that was because everyone had clumped in one spot for one event.

Every street stall was lined with merchandise for specific fighters and food, but strangely enough, Goku wasn't focused on the latter. Other than the pounding excitement, all he could think about was his home planet, Vegeta.

"What's on your mind?" Bulma asked him. Everyone else had gone ahead while he was distracted. She had just stayed because- well, she didn't know exactly herself. Goku couldn't complain.

"My dad was going to hold a tournament like this before all the Frieza stuff happened. I just wonder what it would've been like."

She pursed her lips. "Based on what I've seen and you've told me, a competition between Saiyans would be super intense. I'm not a big fan of fighting, but even I'd be interested in seeing that," she beamed.

He had not the heart to inform her it would most likely move too quickly for her. "Well, you'll get a taste of that if me, Ruco, or Tarble get to fight each other."

"I will," she said certainly. "You're going to wipe the floor with everyone here. No contest."

Goku shrugged, grinning. He hoped that wasn't true. "You'd be surprised how capable the people of this planet are! In a lot of ways, humans outclass me."

For one thing, they were much smarter than the average Saiyan. Humans were arguably more prone to infighting, but they had to invent ways to be able to fight without destroying their fragile bodies. Given ample time or resources, even Bulma could probably defeat him with some sort of mechanical suit or restraint device.

"Sure, Goku," she scoffed.

"It's true, Blue," he chuckled, causing both of them to blush. Goku put his hands behind his head and made a beeline toward registration. Time was running out.

He dodged his way through the crowd, gently dragging Bulma along by her slender hand. Goku made it to the desk and registered for the tournament mere minutes before it was up. When he was done, he sighed, waving goodbye to Bulma.

"You'd better qualify for the tournament!"

"I will!" He shouted, turning a corner and entering the massive gymnasium where all the contestants were. There were hundreds of people present, in all shapes and sizes. However, there were only two he had his eyes on. Goku found and made his way to his two comrades, who were wearing violet gis identical to his own. Sure the Foxtrot Force wasn't entirely here, but it was represented.

Ruco, who was now slightly taller than Bulma, waved him down. Tarble had barely grown at all. "Hey there, stranger."

Goku nodded. "You guys ready?"

Tarble shrugged. "I doubt we'll get good fights, but at least the food is good."

"Oooooh yeah, did you try that fried octo-" Goku began, but someone tapped gently on his broad shoulder. He whipped around to see a beautiful girl with silky black hair. She was smiling expectantly. "Hello! Do I know you? Do I have somethin' on my back?"

Ruco and Tarble waved amicably when the stranger's jaw went slack. It turned to flinching away when she began to groan in anger.

"Unbelievable!" The young woman groaned, stomping off angrily.

"Did I do something?" Goku asked his friends.

Tarble shrugged. "I was about to ask you the same question. How do you know that girl?"

"I don't."

"She certainly knows you," Ruco remarked.

Goku shrugged. "Maybe I met her while we were fighting some androids and promised we'd fight. Oh well. By the way-"

A loud voice cut over the intercom and by extension Goku's words. "Contestants! Please begin forming a line in front of the lottery box! You will draw a number and be placed in a preliminary block! Best of luck to everyone, and remember, no hitting below the belt!"

"Uh oh. If we get placed in the same block for the qualifiers, we won't be able to fight all out!" Goku exclaimed as he realized the pickle they were in.

A certain scarred bandit approached them with a wide grin on his face. "Don't worry, guys. "Puar is in the box, distributing numbers. She's going to place us in different blocks. Just throw a peace sign in there."

Goku smiled wide. "Awesome."

OxOxO

Of course, the four of them qualified for the semifinals. Goku could barely count the amount of cocky past qualifiers they had wiped the floor with. Quite frankly it was the polite people they had to worry about.

Goku and the others had fully settled in the waiting room. It's comfy couches were only second to the refreshments. Speaking of which, he nearly choked on a mango pit when the fifth qualifier arrived.

"You look awfully familiar," the bald monk said. He looked just as Goku remembered him, short and noiseless as always.

He grinned, his tail swishing behind him. "You're Krillin."

"The Krillin? From the stories?" Ruco asked Goku, despite the fact that he had only shown up for a month of the time in aforementioned tales.

Krillin laughed triumphantly. "So I see my reputation precedes me? I guess my heroism at Jingle Village goes without saying."

"No, nothing like that. It's me, Goku. We trained together for like a month five or six years ago! Remember, we interfered with police business and you stole that rock from me? Good times!"

He blanched. "Those aren't exactly the highlights of our time together, but I do remember you. Didn't your dad abduct you into space?"

Goku nodded. "Yeah but I got used to it. Now I'm back!"

Krillin smirked. "Well it's about time! I'm sorry to say that no matter how much of a headstart you had, you're probably way too far behind me because of how little you trained with Master Roshi."

"I think you'll find me full of surprises," he said, grabbing a banana from the refreshment table with his tail. It was a small and intentional hint to his abilities. Oh how he wished Krillin was right. He'd rather the tournament not comprise of a repeat of the preliminaries.

"Let's hope I do," Krillin said. He was equally itchy for a good rumble. "Did you always have a tail?"

"Yep, but it got cut off right before we met. It's normal for my species"

Krillin glanced behind him to the other two Saiyans lounging about. "Who are you guys? His siblings?"

Ruco snickered. "No, we're best friends. Goku's brother and sister are running a kiosk and in the stands respectively,"

"Goku's told us a bunch about you," Tarble said. "It's very nice to meet you."

"You too," Krillin nodded. "Er- just the nice to meet you part. You oughta come back to the Turtle school, Goku. It's honestly a waste of your potential."

Goku shrugged noncommittally. "I honestly think I'm a little above Turtle style."

Krillin tsked, shaking his bald head. "Oh but that's where you're wrong. A sword made of the strongest and most powerful material on earth is only useful if it's sharpened."

He paused to think, considering his words. "I suppose you have a point, but I'm not sure I have the time. Between helping Bulma with construction jobs, watching my sister, and studying to learn how to adult, I'm really busy."

"How about a friendly wager, then?" Krillin asked, pointing his finger upward. "Whoever makes it further than the other wins. If I win, you come back and resume your training. If you win…"

"Then you come and see how intense my regiment is," Goku said, to which Krillin nodded. "And what if we somehow both get knocked out in the same round?"

"Then we fight, and the winner is the person who comes out on top."

Goku extended a hand to the monk, while his friends could only watch in confusion. Krillin grasped his hand and they shook on it. "May the best man win."

"I plan to," Krillin joked. "I've got someone special in the audience counting on me to bring home the prize money!"

"Good luck," Goku added.

"He'll need it," Ruco chuckled.

After that, there wasn't anything important to discuss. The woman who had shouted at Goku had qualified. As did an old man named Jackie Chun who wouldn't stop staring at him. Finally was a cocky looking dark skinned man with an Afro that lauded himself as King Chapa. Goku wasn't so sure he was a ruler of anything, other than his past WMAT win, which he didn't fail to bring up any time anyone approached him.

Shortly following Chapa's arrival, the charismatic announcer whose voice they had become familiar with arrived. He gave each of them a small interview, and all complied save for the grumpy lady calling herself Anonymous. Then they drew lots. Anonymous and Goku were up in the first match. Krillin versus Tarble came immediately after. Third was Ruco versus King Chapa. Finally came Jackie Chun against Yamcha. The scarred bandit was admittedly a tad nervous, as his opponent had won the last tournament to be held.

Swiftly, the announcer ushered the first two contestants to the ring. Both stood on opposite sides. Goku bowed and stood up idly, to which Anonymous replied by grunting angrily and staring him down.

"Alright! Welcome to the first match of the twenty-second World Martial Arts Tournament!" The announcer cried. Thousands of voices shouted out in excitement, making Goku wish he had brought ear plugs. "This is the first tournament to be held since the world was under threat by both the Red Ribbon Armies and Piccolo. Luckily, a brave hero with no name defeated them both, causing all of the souls Piccolo had trapped to be freed!" Goku raised an eyebrow. Is that what they were going with?

The crowd went wild once again.

"Speaking of fighters with no names, we have one here today! This young newcomer fought fiercely to qualify. I wish you all could have seen the preliminaries! She has requested her identity remain private, so we'll leave it at that," he said, to which Anonymous nodded. "For convenience sake we'll refer to her as Anonymous! Facing her is Goko from West City!"

"It's Goku," he explained.

"My bad… Goku is also new to the tournament, and his preliminary matches were equally interesting! Despite the fact that he has a monkey tail, he represents the Fox school! A sect so legendary no one has heard of it!" the announcer cried, earning lots of laughs from the crowd. "But seriously, tremendous kudos to these newcomers for blowing away nearly every single school of note!"

Goku waved to the crowd, who cheered for him. They had cheered for Anonymous, but she was content on staring a hole through him.

"I'm sure you're all very familiar with the rules, but I'm legally obligated to say them before we begin. The contestants will fight until one of them is knocked out of the ring or is unable to stand after ten seconds. Gouging eyes, intentional hits below the belt, hair pulling, biting and killing your opponent are prohibited. There is no time limit, but please do be courteous of other contestants, as we don't have infinite daylight!" The announcer stepped away from the middle of the ring, hopping off. "You may begin whenever you're ready!"

Goku waved as Anonymous dropped into a stance familiar to him. "So, who are you?"

"If you even cared you'd remember! Im furious with you, Goku," she cried.

"I get that. I'm just very confused, because for most of my life I've lived on a mountain or… Uh, really far away. I have no idea who you are!"

"If you can beat me, I'll tell you!" she grumbled. "You promised me that you would m-"

Goku didn't want to know what would happen if she won.

To everyone else, it appeared as if Goku had teleported behind her. In actuality, he had just ran. He threw his hand out, launching invisible energy at her back. Anonymous flew off the ring gently, leaving her dumbfounded.

"What a short match! Goku wins! In all my days I've never seen such speed!"

Goku jumped off of the ring nonchalantly, extending a hand to the stupefied woman. "Listen, I'm sorry I don't remember you, but that's not my fault!"

"I'm Chi-Chi, you jerk! You promised to marry me nearly six years ago!" She shouted, getting to her feet without his help. "Remember me now?!"

The crowd, and Goku were shocked silent. "Yeah, now I do," Goku mumbled. He had fought the most dangerous things on earth but now he had no idea what to do. "Uhhh…"

"Yeah, Uh! I hardly want to marry you anymore!" Goku let loose a sigh of relief. "What was THAT supposed to mean?! I've been waiting six years for you to come back! Do you plan on taking responsibility?"

"I can't marry you," he said immediately. "I was a stupid kid who thought marriage was a food, and I'm standing you up in front of thousands of people. You deserve someone a million times better than a jerk like me!" He said quickly, nearly out of breath.

Chi-Chi said nothing for a while, which scared him a thousand times worse than anything she could have said. "Fine. I guess you're really not the Prince Charming you used to be, Goku…"

"I'm really not. We would be incredibly unhappy together. I've seen people who have arranged marriages, and they didn't seem so happy to me."

"We wouldn't know unless we tried, asshole," she shouted over her shoulder, stomping out of the arena. "I wasted so much time on you!" was her final cry as she disappeared.

Goku ran after her and into the tunnels, uncaring as to what the crowd thought. They probably hated him already. "I'm sorry!" he said.

"Yeah, you should be," she said, stopping but refusing to face him.

"Look, even if I said yes, there's…" he gulped. "Someone I already like, and I think she likes me back."

Chi-Chi whipped around, with newfound excitement. "Really?! I can't step in the way of true love!"

"I- I don't know if it's true love, yet…"

She jabbed him with a slender finger. "You listen here. The only way I'm letting you go is if it's true love. You had better win her over or else."

Goku grinned, terribly relieved. "Alright, I will. Are we cool?"

Chi-Chi sighed. "I'm still furious, but I'm even more of a romantic. I'd rather die alone than live with someone who doesn't love me back. Now go and win that lucky girl's heart! I have some soul searching to do, so quit chasing me!"

"We're cool," Goku realized, running back to the grounds. "Goodbye!"

Maybe in another world, or another lifetime, she would have found her soulmate in him. For now, he had the impression they had become friends.


	29. Chapter 29: The Real Battle

"Well, after the impressive show of speed and controlled power of the last match, our next two contestants will certainly have a tough time outdoing the spectacle of instantaneous movement," Everyone in the stands agreed with the man in the mic. "This match is set between Tarble of West City's Fox school and Krillin representing the Turtle school! Those of you present at the last WMAT will remember the latter as a runner up for champion, second only to Jackie Chun!"

Tarble's heart fluttered as the crowd went wild. His energy sensing was underdeveloped, but he could tell Krillin was good.

"Do either of you need a refresher on the rules?" the announcer asked, receiving two shaking heads. "Alright! Begin when you're ready."

The Saiyan prince put his arms to his sides and bowed at a ninety degree angle. "Let's both do well."

Krillin smirked. "It's been a while since I fought someone as polite as you," he bowed in turn. "I'm glad at least someone here has respect for the sport too."

When both had lifted their heads, they began. It would seem both had tried to get the first hit in. Krillin approached with his legs, trying to fling Tarble into the air with kicks. His opponent responded with a kick of his own. The Turtle student caught the saiyan's leg, using his momentum to slam Tarble into the ground. He bounced off the tile before skidding to his feet.

Krillin allowed him a moment to catch his breath. "You're pretty good! If I hadn't caught your kick, you probably would've been disqualified for removing my head!"

This wasn't good. He was stronger, but Krillin was incredibly well trained. "Thanks. You too!"

Tarble crouched, cupping his hands at his side. Purple energy fizzled to life.

"You know the Kamehameha too?"

"Nope. This is something else," Tarble grunted, throwing his hands forward. "Galick Gun!"

"I've got something else too!" Krillin raised a hand, energy forming into a spinning disc. "Destructo disc!" Rather than throwing it, he angled it in front of him like a shield. When Tarble's violet beam reached it, the energy collided with the spinning energy, deflecting it toward the ground. A sizable chunk of a corner of the ring was gone, but the damage was hardly enough to stop the match.

"What an impressive light show!" The announcer cried. "It feels like New Years!"

"Your attacks are too sluggish. I can see them coming from a mile away," Krillin admitted.

Tarble had always had that problem. His lack of fighting spirit is what had him sent away from Vegeta in the first place.

Krillin scrambled to apologize. "I didn't mean to insult you or anything! The only difference between us is practice. Maybe we should have the same bet as Goku. If I win, you should come train with Master Roshi."

"Sounds good," Tarble smiled. He nodded and looked to the referee. "I forfeit."

Krillin stumbled for a moment. "Uh... What?"

The crowd was equally dumbfounded. Goku was no different, but his confusion was for another reason. Somewhere in the distant universe, something had created an energy blast so potent the shockwave could be felt from Earth. As predicted, the ground beneath him shook, causing almost everyone in the waiting room to look at one another.

"Goku, what was that?" Ruco asked after a pause.

"I have no idea," he lied. Goku had felt this energy somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it. The evil energy reminded him of a star. There was no meaning or purpose behind it- it just was.

"It was just an earthquake," King Chapa said, shrugging it off. "Do they not have those in the jungles you were raised in?"

Goku looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. They actually didn't have earthquakes on Mount Paozu.

Jackie Chun spoke up from his own seat. "That was no mere earthquake. Someone on par with Piccolo created that."

Chapa paled. "Are you sure?"

"I fought against that monster and survived both of the wretched times he rose from the depth of hell. I'm sure as the sky is blue."

"No, that was something worse," Goku shook his head. He was about to declare they had to do something, but Ruco beat him to the punch.

"There's nothing we can do right now," she said. "We're out of ship fuel because of all the practice flying I've been doing, and Bulma can't figure out how to make more with what Earth has. Like it or not, we're grounded."

"That doesn't mean we should just ignore that!" he yelled.

"Doesn't mean we should freak out either!" Ruco shrieked, silencing him immediately. Her tail danced behind her wildly. "If anyone is going to be the one to solve that problem, let's face it, it'll probably be you. Let's figure it out rationally, like rational people."

Goku merely nodded and took his seat. She was right, after all. He had a lot to think about in addition to whatever horror was causing what he was sensing. Chi-Chi had made sure of that.

OxOxO

Goku had been so distracted, he barely noticed he had won the tournament. He had hardly any reaction when Chun revealed himself to be Roshi. Mostly everyone had passed it off as him being dissatisfied with the matches. Few knew the earthquakes to be more than what they were.

However, when he refused to touch the gourmet food in front of him, those who knew him well realized something was off. Goku would never pass on food, let alone Popo and Panchy's home cooking. He didn't want them to worry, so he said nothing. Those in the know followed his lead.

Later that night he found himself staring aimlessly at the ceiling of one of the Lookout's guest rooms. He'd made some excuse about spending time with friends that he couldn't remember. In all truthfulness, he was waiting for Kami to convene with the powers above him to find out what the hell happened.

Goku could feel Kami's energy spike slightly- a sure sign of surprise. So he made his way out of bed, slapped his boots on, and made his way to the outside garden. Now it was his turn for his energy to spike slightly.

"Dad?"

Bardock indeed stood in front of him, his arms crossed and his attention on Kami. "Yeah. I need your help, son."

Goku frowned, walking slowly toward him. "You've been gone for three years and that's all you've got to say? Not even a hello?"

"Hello," His father pursed his lips. "Look, I would love nothing more than to catch up with you and everyone else, but time is of the essence," he admitted.

Goku took note of how battered his father was, and that the scar on his face had only gotten bigger. "What's going on?"

"We've got to go right now. I can explain on the way, Goku. Now come on. No need for packing," he declared, already heading toward his ship.

His son jogged after him. "Wait! If you need my help, what about everyone else's?"

"They won't be able to make much of an impact, and we don't need any more prey for the monster we're going to face."

Goku stopped, causing his father to annoyedly whip around. "You've got no idea how much we've progressed since you left us. We're all way stronger than before."

He grit his teeth, impatiently tapping his foot. "Believe me, I've heard. I didn't want to put you in danger, but I've need of your power. Turles told me you're also a super saiyan."

"What? You did the ritual too?" Goku muttered. He remembered just how frightening such a thing was. "What the hell is out there that need two super saiyans to take it down?! Sounds like we could use all the help we can get!"

Bardock grimaced, turning to walk to the ship. "Kakarot, we're going alone!"

Goku stood his ground. "I've got a sister."

"Don't insult Raditz behind his back."

"No, dad, mom was pregnant when we left. Don't you want to meet her?"

He grumbled. "Fine. Go get everyone, but hurry!" If they failed, everyone on earth would eventually perish anyway. Like it or not, this could be his only shot to see his loved ones once more.

OxOxO

After a few calls, they were already in the stars. Gine had hardly left Bardock's side. They'd have loved to pounce on one another, but there were serious stakes, judging from what Bardock hadn't told them. Bete was nestled in her arms and could barely keep her eyes off of her father.

When Bardock had the opportunity to hand off the controls to Ruco, he did. While her flying was shaky and unsure, it was cautious. He immediately scooped up his daughter. They didn't need to share words to have a conversation. The two merely looked into one another's eyes and nodded.

"What do you know, a child who doesn't screech constantly," he snickered, enjoying what he could. "What's your name?"

"It's Bete," Gine answered at her child's shy silence.

"My brothers can kick your butt…"

Bardock smirked. "Let's hope that's true. We need that right now."

"Pardon me, uh, but what exactly is this danger we're charging headfirst into?" A bald monk who was clearly unused to space travel asked.

"Is it Frieza?" Tarble asked, taking note of Ruco's tightened grip on the controls. "He's a tyrannical space emperor," he clarified to the humans. A single drop of sweat rolled down Bardock's forehead.

"Yes, I'd like to know a bit more," Roshi requested. "Maybe I have a technique or other form of sagely advice we can use."

Bardock grimaced. "The Legendary Super Saiyan."

"Any Saiyan can become Super," Goku said. "You should know that."

"I do, but this is different. He's actually the Super Saiyan of legend, born every millennia with ungodly potential. They say we Saiyans have infinite potential, but he doesn't have to do anything to get stronger. His power just keeps increasing the longer he exists. I didn't want to expose any of you to that, but I have no choice. Now, I know Goku can transform, but who else besides us two can go bleach blonde?"

"Blonde?" Gine incredulously asked. "I was confused too when the Golden saiyan of legend was red, but-"

"Red?" Bardock focused his energy between his shoulder blades before releasing it in a wonderfully compact and nondestructive explosion. His hair stood on end, now a muted yellow, and his angry eyes a cerulean. "Did something in Earth's water cause mass color blindness?"

"I don't understand. It was red when we did the Super Saiyan God ritual," Goku explained.

Bardock immediately fell out of the golden form. "You got that to work?! I spent a year tracking down and tort- asking someone who knew of it, but when the time came, we were unable to produce results."

"We couldn't replicate it if we wanted to. It's crazily dangerous. Somehow, I retained a bit of the divine energy. I held it all in because I felt like I was going to explode. I hope it'll be enough."

"If it was enough for Piccolo, I have confidence in you, brother," Raditz said, a fake smile on his face. He couldn't help the feeling of inferiority, being outclassed by his junior.

"Even so, I'd like you all to try something. Focus your energy right here," he demonstrated, lifting his daughters hair and pointing to the nape of her neck. She suddenly fell slack in Gine's arms. "Then, right when it begins to tingle, release it with all your might."

Nearly every saiyan tried, to differing results. Goku's hair flashed aquamarine for a moment before faltering. Raditz and Ruco came with nothing. Tarble's reaction to the method was most spectacular. His energy flared just as Bardock's had, but more violently. The ship rattled as his own hair turned golden. Goku reached out to his friend as he fell to his knees, gasping.

Tarble's heart felt as if it were going to burst out of his chest at any moment.

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" Bardock asked, his signature smirk on display. "Your father was a fool to banish you like he did. Here you are, the third super saiyan to earn this form in centuries."

"I'm stronger than my brother now… aren't I?" Tarble panted. "That is, if he's still…"

"He's alive. Now, how are you feeling? I could hardly control myself the first time. It gets easier."

"I feel very focused but at the same time agitated," Tarble answered, managing to stand up.

Bardock nodded. "I want you to practice transforming every free moment we have before arriving. We've just got to pick up some allies before tracking the Legendary Super Saiyan," Bardock declared as they came into low orbit. "Gine, Bete, and anyone else who isn't fighting will stay here with some of my trustworthy men."

Goku curled his lips in disgust as he felt a familiar energy. "Why the hell is Frieza down there?!"

"What?" Raditz cursed aloud. "You're joking!"

Suddenly the ship jerked slightly.

Bardock closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't like working with him either, but we have no choice. My Rebellion and his joke of a dictatorship have come to a truce to stop our common threat. There'll be nothing left to fight over if we lose."

"Sounds like you've been quite busy these past few years…" Gine mumbled.

"Yeah. It's been anything but boring. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of seeing you all again."

OxOxO

Bardock turned to the group after they had landed. Gine recognized him going into leader mode. "Alright. Slight change of plans. For a neutral staging area, there are way too many of Frieza's cronies lurking about for me to just leave Gine and Bete here. Everyone and one of my sons will stay here. If we need your help, you'll know it."

Neither volunteered.

"Alright then, Goku, you'll remain here and protect everyone. If your brother and I die, you're the man of the family."

His face was plastered with disagreement. "I think I'll be more useful going with you."

"If all of us can't manage, trading you out for someone stronger will be no help," Bardock responded, his patience thinning. "If you can't tap into the God transformation, there's no use putting you in immediate danger."

"Goku has a point. He's stronger than me even without transforming," Raditz admitted, much to his own chagrin. It physically hurt to actually say that. "I'm sorry I can't be of more use, father."

"No, I'm incredibly proud of you. It takes a big man to swallow his pride, no matter how much it hurts."

Raditz kept silent.

"Alright, Goku, you're tagging along with Tarble and I. Everyone else is to stay here and safe."

"Let's get going then," Goku declared.

"Hold on! You're just going to leave without saying goodbye to your family and friends?" Krillin asked incredulously.

"If they do that, they'll be acknowledging the possibility they can lose," Roshi said.

Goku nodded. "And that's something I refuse to accept. We can't lose."

"What he said," Bardock grumbled. "Now come on."

OxOxO

Goku had expected more of a trek, maybe meeting some new faces, but all they had done was board a ship adjacent to their own. It was the standard circular design of the PTO, but this one was massive. It was more of a mobile base of operations than a ship.

Bardock had ordered Tarble and Goku not to say a word, especially about Earth, and they obeyed. He led them through the circular hallway until they reached an observation room, which Goku could tell held Frieza ahead of time.

Frieza stood with his back turned to them, flanked by his two lieutenants Zarbon and Dodoria. Light reflected off of his purple biogems as he turned to face the group. His icy skin and savage red eyes still sent a chill down Goku's spine.

"This is the best the brilliant tactician Bardock can come up with? A clone with terrible fashion sense and a disgraced prince of nothing?"

"It never fails to surprise me how someone of your standing can have such terrible manners. This is my son Goku and another super saiyan. Not whatever bullshit just fell out of your mouth disguised as a witty comment."

Frieza grimaced. "You aren't joking? Another super saiyan? This is why my brother shouldn't have interfered when I wanted to render you lot extinct. No monkey should hold such power, let alone two and a mutant."

"You're exactly right. He shouldn't have interfered. Because as soon as we deal with this, I'm going to rip your spine out and use your vertebrae as a way to count my patience for scum like you," Bardock spat out venomously.

"It's such a shame you use your above-monkey intellect to craft such superfluously grotesque threats. Let's dispense with the pleasantries and deal with your fellow super primate. Then we may resume our conflict. My scouts have located him."

Goku's brow raised. "Already?" The universe was a big place after all. It took them years to discover all the Red Ribbon Holdouts on a single planet.

Frieza eyed him icily. "He is not exactly difficult to find. Even if he wasn't leaving behind quite literally a galaxy spanning trail of breadcrumbs, his gargantuan energy is being detected on scouters even here," he looked to Bardock. "Your progeny doesn't seem to have inherited your mind…"

Bardock interrupted Goku before he could speak to defend himself. "I barely had any time to brief both of them."

Frieza merely frowned. The ship lifted into the sky and flew into space. "Excellent. Your backup is both underperforming and underprepared."

"Once again you assume too much," Bardock's mouth curled into a sneer. "Tarble, why don't you get some more practice in?"

The prince meekly looked around. "Here? Right now?"

Dodoria pressed the button on his scouter, causing it to beep. He guffawed. "Go ahead. You're so weak, training right in front of that window would be safe. Super Saiyan or not, there ain't a thing a bean pole like you could do to any of us."

"You heard the talking testicle. Go right ahead."

The prince figured it would be safe. This was Frieza's ship after all. There had to be many failsafes even if the durability of the ship came to being tested. Tarble did as instructed, focusing his energy until it tingled the back of his neck and releasing it.

His stiff black hair turned blonde and flowed as if wind were blowing through it. It seemed a bit easier on him this time, but he could tell it could take some time getting used to it. Unfortunately time wasn't a luxury they had.

Frieza looked as if he could turn coal into diamonds with the way he was clenching his teeth. Veins popped up and throbbed on his round head. "Is this a damned Super Saiyan bargain sale?!"

"Did you seriously think I brought these two for no reason at all? I could've grabbed any two saiyans off of the street in place of them if that was the case. I'm not a liar or a gambler."

Frieza took a deep breath, radiating an aura of calm. Funny how that just made him seem even more furious. "Admittedly, I had no idea what sort of plan you were concocting, although I knew one was brewing. While I am hopeful as toward our chances of defeating our common enemy, I'm afraid these young men have just earned themselves a powerful one. Unless you wish to join me..?" he asked, his eyes piercing through them.

"You're a damned fool if you thought that there wasn't a person in this universe who doesn't want you dead," Bardock said.

Goku nodded. "I was there the day you killed those people and crowned yourself, Frieza. I won't let you get away with your crimes. I'll kill you."

"A shame," Frieza rolled his eyes. "Such threats have proven ineffective on me for quite some time. Your Super Saiyan father has been the first to come even close to my power and I have been battling him regularly for several years. Yet here I am, alive as any of you. I swear, killing is all you savages blather on about. I'm more likely to kill you for annoying me than disrespecting me at this point."

"Yeah, whatever," Bardock dismissed him, waving accordingly. "We'll get out of your ha- big shiny bald head until we arrive."

The tyrant shooed them off. "Yes, a fine idea. I'd rather not kill you before your use is fulfilled."

Goku and Tarble shrugged, following Bardock out of the room. He led them to a room as if he was familiar with this place. "Barracks," Bardock clarified as he began to enter a number into the keypad. "Not enough soldiers left to fill them so Frieza lent them to us."

He walked in, making a beeline to the light switch. Goku hardly made it two feet before a small body latched onto his left leg. "Bete?!" He cried. "How?!"

"Don't go fight hiiiiim!" she sobbed, becoming the loudest and most outspoken he had ever heard her. Something had terrified her out of her silence. "He's gonna kill youuuuuu! Please, Goku, he's- he's- you're gonna dieeeeee!"

Goku was about to explode, charge into the bridge, and turn the ship around, but his father stopped him. Bardock bent down and picked up the distraught girl.

"Never mind how you got here. How do you know your brother is going to die?" he asked. Goku had the idea something beyond his knowledge was going on.

Bete sniffled, taking a moment to compose herself. "I dunno how I know. I just do," she nearly choked on her tears. "Every time I close my eyes I see the monster pushing on you until you turn blue! You have to go back..."

Bardock pauses for a few beats, his expression neutral. Within moments, it soured. "Oh, dammit. Dammit all! Bete, I am so sorry. I don't know how I did it, but I've done something terrible to you."

Tarble, still super, shrugged. "What did you do?"

"During my Super Saiyan demonstration, I think I gave Bete my waning ability to see the future," Goku recalled that moment exactly. It was when she'd fallen unconscious after having the nape of her neck tapped.

* * *

Sorry if this subverted the expectation of tournament arc. One will be coming!

Also, I'd like to give a huge thank you to my editor, Octavio675! He's a talented writer who's already caught a ton of mistakes and saved me from making a few to boot! Give his stories a read, please.


	30. Chapter 30: Heartbreaker

"...Excuse me, what?" Goku nearly shouted. "How the hell do you accidentally give someone psychic powers? And… since when can you see the future?!"

"A little after you were born, while I was still working for Frieza, he ordered the uh- investigation of a planet full of psychics. While I was there, I may or not have been cursed with the ability to see the future. Not our future, but a future where Planet Vegeta was… destroyed. That's all I can say about it now."

"What?" The poor confused and teary girl asked.

"I'm so sorry," he said again, hugging her close. He'd known her for a few hours and he'd already given her a curse.

"So," Goku broke the silence after a few moments. "I'm going to turn blue and die if I fight this guy?"

"Yes!" she cried.

"Do we win?" he asked.

"I… don't know…"

"Yeah, the ability to see the future isn't all it's cracked up to be. It doesn't work how you want it to and it's generally more stress than it's worth," Bardock declared. "I'm sorry I gave it to you."

"It's… okay. I'll miss you…" Bete told Goku, on the verge of tears.

Goku nodded. "Me too, but I don't exactly plan on dying. For all we know, you just had a bad dream. What do you say we visit Baba when we get back home?"

She looked down as if thinking it over before nodding. "Okay…"

"Baba who?" Bardock asked.

"She's a witch," Bete told him.

"I don't mean to break this up, but Bete, how did you get on this ship?" Tarble asked. "And how exactly are we going to keep her safe now?"

"I came after you…" she said, returning to her reserved demeanor. "It was easy…"

"That doesn't surprise me. These PTO goons are utter fools. You have got to hide when we land. I'd leave Goku with you, but we'll need his help. If we can't do it with him, then we'll all die. Including you."

Her eyes went wide.

"Dad!" Goku hissed.

"It's the damned truth. It doesn't matter where anyone is if we lose. Everyone will die. That reminds me. Goku, don't let your honor get in the way. This guy is a mindless beast who can't be reasoned with."

"That doesn't mean-" Goku whipped his head toward the viewing port. They had just come into low orbit above some putrid green planet. Down below, on the surface, he felt an energy explode. The very same from Earth. "Oh wow. That's… some really serious power."

Bardock nodded. "We'd better get to Frieza. Bete, you hide!" He ordered, running out the room and around the corner.

Goku and Tarble followed, where they met Frieza standing at the open landing ramp. "You sure took your time. I can feel his presence without the use of a scouter."

"Yeah, keep your undies unbunched. Let's go!"

The four of them took flight, closing in on the Legendary Super Saiyan. He was taller than Raditz, but not nearly as muscular. Though his hair was blonde and his eyes blue, he radiated a shining emerald aura. He was in the process of ripping a soldier's arms out of their sockets when Bardock careened toward him, his own hair now blonde, kicking the beast in the face.

The Legendary Super Saiyan rubbed his cheek before bellowing sadistically. "Ha! So you've come to be beaten again, Bardock?"

There was something about the way he said his name that was familiar. Suddenly, it all clicked within Goku's mind. He pointed at their opponent. "That's Broly!"

Broly pointed at him, his smirk becoming devilish. "I've killed too many who look exactly like you in my search. Why don't you tell me your name so I can decide how much energy to use to end your life? I have incredibly big fish to fry."

"I'm Goku," he said, still in disbelief.

"Goku… Foxtrot Goku? That means… you're…"

"Oh shit!" Bardock's aura flared as he shoved his son to the ground.

"KAKAROT! Ha ha!" Broly bellowed, charging fist first through the area where Goku's torso had been moments before. "I knew snuffing the lives I did would attract you. Like chum on the water…"

Frieza extended a finger, firing a concentrated beam of energy at Broly's unguarded eye. Unexpectedly, Broly blocked the blast by simply closing his eyelids.

"Trying to blind me?! You'll pay for that!" Broly roared.

"I'm sure I w- ACK!" Frieza was suddenly gripped by the throat and lifted up, kicking his feet to try to find the ground.

"Kakarot- I'll save you for dessert!"

Tarble and Bardock flew toward him, aiming kicks at his bulking arm. The Legendary Super Saiyan dropped Frieza. The two normal super saiyans took the opportunity to pummel Broly.

All of this happened by the time Goku stood up. Aforementioned Saiyan felt grossly outclassed. An idea came to mind and so he crouched, cupping his hands by his hip. If there was one thing he excelled at, Kami told him it was his impeccable ability to control energy. He didn't waste a metaphorical drop. Like water, he discovered that the smaller the area of concentration, the higher the destructive force. He set out to create a pencil-thin Kamehameha as his comrades distracted the beast.

Saying the words weren't necessary, but he used them in order to give his allies warning of what he was about to do. "Kamehame…" Tarble nodded at Bardock, attempting to get Broly to stay still. They succeeded by pinning his arms and Goku cried "Ha!" releasing his divine energy.

Broly wrestled himself free, just in time. The beam was surprisingly effective, burning a hole through Broly's flesh as it grazed his bicep. He roared. "Looks like I started a bit TOO small!"

"Oh damn," Bardock cursed just before a strong wind whipped around Broly, blowing them all back.

Broly's already unreal power exploded. Everyone was frozen in place. "What's wrong?! You're finally realizing that you're mere drops compared to my ocean of strength? Here I thought you'd all accept the warrior's death I offered you."

Goku dropped into a defensive stance. "Stop it with all the fish talk! I have no idea what I've done to make you want to kill me so badly, but I'll offer you something in exchange for the "gift" you're trying to give us. Stop this and you'll live."

"And then what, Goku?" Bardock said from behind him. "He's a monster who only knows how to charge ahead. I knew you were going to pull this mercy crap. Cut it out!"

"You should listen to your father…" Broly bellowed. "He's right about all but one thing. I'm not a monster- I'm a demon!" Broly cried.

Goku blinked and Broly was before him, staring down with pure malice etched into his sneer. A quick energy check revealed his allies were sent in every direction and still flying.

"I don't know why I want to murder you so badly. It's just instinct. I am the predator and you my preferred prey. Why don't you sit here while the grown-ups fight?" Broly asked, rising up and flying toward Bardock.

Tarble intercepted him with a kick, sending Broly toward Frieza, where he was sent careening once more into the ground. The three combatants took this as their cue and zoomed down toward him, ready to keep up the onslaught.

Broly glowed green on the ground just before they reached him, an ominous sign of what was to come. Suddenly, without explanation, he detonated himself. His possum act had worked, all but Goku caught up in its massive blast.

When the dust cleared, only Broly was standing. Looking down on his battered trio of opponents, he smirked at them. Before he had merely towered over them, but now he was looming over them.

"My offer still stands…" he said.

"Mine doesn't!" Goku cried, aiming a kick at his face.

Broly grabbed his leg, stopping Goku's movement entirely. Goku winced as the Legendary Super Saiyan tightened his grip. "I would think a fighter as experienced as you would know not to announce his sneak attacks so loudly."

"I would think you'd know what a sneak attack was!" Goku cried.

A flaming blue fist directly connected with Broly's stomach, causing him to release Goku and flinch. Goku scrambled away as that energy detonated, sending Broly flying backwards a few dozen meters. Bardock shook his smoking hand clear of soot.

Broly laughed from within the smokescreen. Only his silhouette was visible until he released a long breath, sending the airborne debris packing. He wiped blood from his injured arm. They watched as his shoulder laceration slowly began to clot.

"Can we do that?" Tarble nervously chuckled.

Goku shook his head. "I've never stopped bleeding that fast."

Broly lifted his chin, staring down at them with his cruel eyes. "Is it my turn now?"

Bardock and Frieza provided an answer by attempting to attack him. However, when it came time to connect, Broly vanished into thin air. "Where did he go?!" Frieza cried. The younger two of the saiyans could barely follow him with their energy sensing.

Goku felt energy spike behind them, and then something whiz past him. A moment later, the right side of his head felt warm, despite the sweat. He raised a hand to his ear to find a chunk from the top missing and blood running down his neck. Whipping around, he barely had time to process what had happened to him.

Tarble was splayed out against a nearby building, a section of rebar pinning him to it. His yellow hair returned to black just as he began to cough up red.

"Tarble!" Goku cried in vain.

"I'll be… okay," he tried to assure his friend, but that was a blatant lie. Tarble hacked up more sticky blood.

Broly returned to the land of the visible directly in front of Tarble. He grasped the rebar firmly, bending it to a ninety degree angle. Tarble let out a cry of agony. The only way the weakened Tarble could free himself was by maneuvering around the bar. However, he was in no such shape. He was hemorrhaging blood and energy quickly.

The legendary super saiyan whipped around, glaring at Goku. With a cackle they had all become familiar with, he began a thundering barge toward the stunned young Saiyan. How someone so big could be so fast was beyond him.

Goku raised his forearms just in time to block a punch from Broly. The ground around them splintered, and Goku lost his balance. It only took a moment of wavering for him to fly downward into one of the ground's cracks, firmly lodging himself in the planet.

"Your detour for worthy allies seems to have failed catastrophically!" Frieza cried.

Bardock spitefully spat on the ground. "Tarble went longer than your entire pathetic Frieza Force. My boy, on the other hand, is full of surprises!"

Goku sat up only to be kicked back into the dirt by Broly. "Stay down! You'll get your turn."

"What, can he handle two blows rather than one?" Frieza asked, charging violet energy at the tip of his finger.

The ground around Goku for a meter in all directions was disintegrated, throwing dust up. Goku stood up just as it cleared, revealing a disgruntled young Saiyan. His irises were crimson, but his hair had barely changed. It had simply lightened, giving his hair a brown hue. In direct sunlight, it could've been considered ginger, but it was nothing compared to Super Saiyan God's dark red. Goku also wasn't emaciated or likewise tanned.

As if the other signs weren't enough to reveal something was amiss, cobalt energy crackled around him as if he were a frayed wire. He felt pretty close to his father in terms of strength, but something was missing. The form was incomplete.

"No, he can do that!" Bardock shouted triumphantly.

Broly's face soured as he began winding up for a punch. Goku caught his fist in both hands with an equally tooth-grinding grimace. He slid back almost a foot before Bardock and Frieza intervened.

Bardock kicked Broly in the legs, sending him down into Frieza's extended fist. Goku completed the combination attack by detonating a blast where the Legendary Super Saiyan landed. There was only one issue- Goku's energy wasn't green.

"Is that-" Goku gasped.

Bardock grabbed Frieza and Goku, chucking them out of the way of the growing blast. He barely had a moment to breathe as out of the light, Broly came. Bardock was clotheslined into the ground, where he was held by the neck.

He stared with cold determination into Broly's savage eyes as he gripped him by the golden bracers. Those who could sense energy felt Bardock's rise steadily as he slowly removed the large hands from his esophagus. Broly just let it happen, cackling and sneering the whole time.

His smirk disappeared when Bardock let out a cry of rage as the dam that was his power had been steadily leaking exploded. "You're dead wrong if you think I'm going to continue being your plaything! I'm ending this now!"

Frieza, hopping on the minimal transformation bandwagon, let out his own full potential. In a matter of seconds, the short reptilian overlord began sparking, his muscles quickly gaining mass. He was easily the most muscular there. "You saiyans are much too selfish. I have my own suffering I wish to put this mongrel through…"

"Damn… I pushed you to this level before, but it took forever for you to get here! You barely look constipated!" Bardock grumbled, standing and staring at his mortal enemy.

Frieza's face was honest in displaying his disapproval. "Crass as always, you filthy Saiyans! I'll have you know I'm a quick learner!"

"My race doesn't matter," Bardock spat, pointing at Frieza. "Even if I was born a Brench I'd hate your guts!"

"Despise me or not-"

Broly charged forward, clotheslining the both of them into a building. "You'd have more of a chance of beating me if you wouldn't squabble!"

"So you want us to kill you?" Bardock asked as he socked his enemy in the face, causing a laceration with his knuckle.

Broly waiter for his blood to reach his lips before he lapped it up. He grinned just as the wound closed up. "No. It's just more fun for me if you struggle as you die…"

"You're a sicko!" Goku cried as he flew in, punching Broly's back. He whipped around, blocking the next. "If I wasn't convinced before, I am now. Tarble just bled out," he realized through grit teeth. "You killed him without a care in the world! Your friend! My friend!" Goku, taking a moment to catch his breath, (which he hadn't remembered getting away from him) stared down his enemy.

"Looks like I've struck a nerve- without having to dig through your skull!" Broly shouted, cackling.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! I'm more mad that you're so indifferent than the fact you actually killed him!" he admitted, huffing and puffing.

The legendary super Saiyan ceased his merriment, becoming lethally serious in a matter of moments. "How many bugs have you accidentally stepped on in your life?"

Goku raised a brow, but was otherwise unphased. "I- what?"

Broly chuckled before raising a finger. "Do you stop and honor every insect you trample upon?"

It all clicked in Goku's head. He scowled more viciously than he ever had in his entire life. "You BASTARD!" he bellowed, cocking his right fist for a uppercut to the gut. Telegraphing his attack so badly didn't matter. Broly didn't dodge.

His fist connected with Broly's gut, with much more force than the legend expected. The impact caused his eyes to practically bug out of his head. To put the icing on the cake, electricity crackled from the rage-filled Goku, traveling into Broly via his metal bracers. There was no time to react to either blow, as Goku finished his combo with a left hook that sent his opponent backwards.

Goku shook his sore hands while Broly gasped for air two meters away. The giant bruise he had left on his abdomen took even longer to fade than the scab from earlier. "I'm glad you told me that stuff now. It just means I don't have to spare any mercy for you," he said, giving him another kick for good measure.

Bardock tossed an energy ball at his son, strong only enough to knock him back. Goku looked up in shock, his mouth agape. "You've done your part," he said, motioning to Broly.

When he had looked back to see the Legendary Super Saiyan, he was contained within a sphere of marigold energy. From what Goku could tell it was solid, keeping Broly within. A quick glance around revealed Frieza the source of the barrier. The emperor was straining greatly. "Ah, my psychic barrier has decided to work. Now we can-"

Broly roared from within the ball, green spheres already growing at his palms. "This can't hold me!"

"Damn you!" Frieza cried. "I suppose a quick death is our only option!"

Bardock chucked another energy sphere, one packed with a lethal amount of energy Broly's way. Goku began to book it- he knew what was happening. Just as he felt the energy connect, a deafening boom filled the air. From his own observations, his father's attack had collided with Broly's the moment Frieza's barrier fell.

When Frieza and Bardock rushed past him in the opposite direction, he turned to follow. Both men threw kicks that Broly caught with both his hands. Goku took his signal, punching Broly in the face. He didn't have three arms, after all.

These sorts of attacks would repeat for the next half hour. Two would distract Broly, and a third would attack. Occasionally, he'd get an attack, but with two other combatants, his streak never lasted long. Slowly but surely, they were whittling away his stamina and thinning his patience. The thing was, he was extremely durable and powerful, but mortal. Not even he could fight forever, and that was their plan. However, it didn't occur to any of them that he was a Saiyan, and that Saiyans always shone when backed into a corner.

Broly let out a burst of his emerald energy, pushing back his attackers and obscuring their vision. He took a few steps backward, lowering his guard.

Bardock, the soldier that he was, saw this as what it was- a trap. Not an obvious one, but still a ruse. His prodigy accompaniments were not so experienced. Goku flew forward, feet first, while Frieza flew forward, his fist extended and laced with energy.

Before Goku knew what had happened, he was gripped on the arm tightly and thrown backwards, away from Broly. His father took his place, hand extended in attempt to slow his own approach. Frieza wasn't so lucky.

In a matter of moments, Broly had used Frieza's trick against them. Instead of trapping one of them within a sphere, he enclosed himself. Frieza managed to keep it from closing on him for a moment, but was bisected eventually. Frieza's upper half and Bardock's left hand fell to Broly's feet and were slowly disintegrated by the burning green of his more than protective shield. The screams of the Emperor and cackles of the beast were like some sort of twisted symphony, and the father and son pair had a front row seat.

Bardock stumbled backwards, teeth clenched. He immediately set his focus toward cauterizing his burning wound. "We're fucked," he seethed as he began to gather burning hot energy in his remaining hand.

Goku swallowed hard, trying to focus his resolve. Things had gone sour in moments, that was for sure. All he could do was drop into a defensive stance. "Not yet! It's not over til we're dead!"

Everything went silent apart from Bardock's occasional groan, signifying that their second party member had fallen. Broly sneered at them, lowering his shield. "I can arrange that…"

Neither Bardock nor Goku attempted to dispute him. The father had an idea, but he wasn't so sure he liked it's outcome. It wasn't like he could bounce it off of Goku… He intended to die, in order to spark a greater fire within his son. Sighing and seething, he opened his mouth to say some final encouraging words to his son, but he was interrupted.

Broly threw his head backwards, not to laugh, but to let out an ungodly scream. Despite it being midday and the skies clear, in a matter of moments, the sky went dark, angry black clouds gathering around them. Broly's emerald aura was the only source of light for a good while. That was when the lightning started striking Broly, and when Goku began to feel way too out of his league.

An eerie calm fell upon them, as the screaming and lightning came to a close. Broly stared intently upward. That was when he began to shout with even more vigor. He levitated as the same green light seemed to come from the core of his being. His eyes went blank, and his lips were pulled around by the sheer force he was exuding. Goku could have sworn he saw Broly's cheeks tear in order to accommodate the energy that seemed to be leaking from his every pore. There was no time to look, as eventually the light became too bright.

Not only was this transformation affecting the environment, it was affecting their perception of the world around them. Goku was sure that the world had permanently turned black and white before Broly stopped. Once again it became deathly quiet.

Broly's presence was overwhelming, threatening to drown them at any moment. Goku had never felt anything like it, and it only seemed to increase with every passing moment. Broly was an iceberg, and up until now they'd only encountered the tip.

The light finally subsided, revealing a much more menacing foe. Broly had massively bulked up, even more so than Frieza. His hair had gone greenish, and his pupils and irises completely white. The ground around him splintered when he touched back down to it.

Goku had personally never been more intimidated by someone in his entire life. That moment soon became number two, as the number one most unnerved he had ever been found a new contender. Broly sneered, pointing a single finger toward Goku.

"It's over. You're already dead… I'm disappointed in how little fun I managed to squeeze from you two," he bellowed.

Bardock immediately bulked up, surprising even his son with the change. His skin became pinkish, most likely due to the increased blood flow and his hair lost its flexibility. It was rigid, spiking out in many directions.

"Goku, if we're going to finish this, it has to be quick. The level of Super Saiyan I'm at now isn't practical," he vaguely said. Martyrdom would have to wait.

Goku nodded, looking at his father's feet. Bardock's boots had sunk into the ground a few inches, causing his son to understand. The amount of power his father was exuding was nothing short of amazing, but all that muscle mass made him heavier. That meant his father was slower. Hopefully, Broly's bulky form suffered from the same fate.

The young saiyan crouched, holding his hands cupped by his side. "Kaaaaaaameeeeee…" he began. If Broly wasn't going to move, he was certainly going to take advantage. "Haaaaaameeeeeeeeee…"

Bardock gathered energy in his remaining hand, gritting his teeth as he charged his last resort, Tyrant Lancer. He looked to his son and nodded.

"HA!" Goku cried, unleashing his most powerful Kamehameha wave since the fight began. Bardock followed suit, chucking his sphere at an amazingly swift speed. Broly made no move to dodge.

They had no time to watch the dust clear, as Broly flew out of the cloud faster than either of their top speeds. Both Bardock and Goku were knocked down by his arms, only to barely dodge his hulking feet crash down where their heads ought to be. As they began to exchange blows with him, they came to a frightening realization. Broly's speed hadn't been sacrificed for power.

Because of his loss of limb, Goku had to stick to his father's left in order to compensate for the weakness. Unfortunately this just made them a more predictable target. Bardock was also slowing down considerably, as his power was waning and his arm began to bleed again. Any senzu Goku attempted to give his father was snatched up or otherwise destroyed by Broly. They were continuously being backed up into a corner.

Bardock was the next to fall. Broly delivered a kick to his knee that forced him to the ground. A stomp to the head knocked him out of Super Saiyan and caused his life energy to dip down. Broly began to charge an attack in his left, as if to taunt the downed man. He stopped for a moment, taking deep breaths. The half hour of blows had worn them all out.

"I figured out your weakness," Goku blurted, more out of breath than all of them. "You're not used to this power. Even if I don't deliver the finishing blow, your power'll kill you anyway…"

Broly's corrupted visage curled into a sneer. "You won't live to test that theory."

Goku fired a barrage of blasts that fizzled out as his target effortlessly backhanded each one. Finally, the exhausted Goku charged his last resort. With the last of his energy, he cupped his hands. "Kame…"

Broly growled as he sprung into action, tackling Goku to the ground. Goku's blast and the last of his energy exploded upon contact with the dirt. Broly's body had acted as the perfect shell to keep the explosion contained.

That was new. Usually enemies were the ones to be interrupted mid attack, so Goku wasn't expecting that in the slightest. While he was splayed out and in shock on the ground, Broly stood up and dusted his pants off.

Goku's head was gripped tightly in Broly's massive hand after a few moments. Like a helpless rag doll, he was slammed face first into the ground. A boot kept his face in place, eyes trained on his father's lifeless body. A rough grip grasped his tail firmly- more firmly than he was trained for. He could do nothing, but he certainly tried to wrestle himself free, despite his pounding heartbeat and aching neck.

"Your struggle is in vain. It's not your fault, though, Kakarot. A minnow can never fight a shark and win," Broly coldly said. "I'd spell out who's who in this scenario, but I'm sure you're well informed..."

Goku could merely spit dirt from his mouth and ready himself for death. The Dragon Balls were always an option. There was always another solution to any problem, he told himself. That didn't make accepting a painful death any easier.

"What the hell?" Broly asked, releasing his grip. He walked away from Goku.

The near-death Saiyan huffed and puffed as he propped himself up on his already scuffed elbows. There, not ten feet away, stood his sister.

Bete's knees were quivering, and her eyes full of tears. "S-Stop!"

Broly guffawed. "Or what?"

Blue energy gathered in her palm, sparking and crackling with instability.

"Wh- No! Run, Bete! Go!" Goku barked. It was all he could do. Goku's energy was depleted.

Broly sneered. "She's important to you? Then watch closely."

"Don't do it! She's not your enemy, so get back here and fight me!" Goku spat, rage and blood covering his face.

Bete sniffled, standing tall. "Stop hurting him!" she cried chucking the ball, more confidently than he had ever seen or heard her. The beginner's energy sphere slowly floated up to Broly, as if it were some cotton dancing in the wind.

Goku grit his teeth. "Stop it! Broly!"

Broly smirked, raising his hand. He didn't charge his own blast. He didn't cock back for a kick or punch. He merely flicked the energy ball with his index finger.

Goku's eyes went wide. Her attack was sent back at her at a speed even Goku had a difficult time following. It was as if she had been thrown into an industrial roller. Bete violently circled the orb several times before being flung at high speeds into a nearby boulder, where she fell and didn't come back up.

"DAMMIT, NO!" Goku cried, both literally and figuratively. His lip trembled as he stared at his limp sister.

"Dammit YES!" Broly's laugh filled two things. The air and Goku's rage. "Did you enjoy the show? I'm not a fan of audience participation myself."

Something within Goku snapped. "BROLY!" He let out an anguished cry far greater than any Broly had produced. Rage and anguish boiled inside of him, building and building until it was all converted into energy at once. Storms and lighting began again, focusing around Goku, who pounded the ground in order to stand up. He approached Broly slowly, glaring him down icily. Bean sized hail pelted both combatants. The bolt that actually struck him turned him into a yellow fury.

"K-Kakarot?" the towering Saiyan of legends queried, stumbling backwards as Goku walked sluggishly toward him. "Not a fan, then?"

* * *

Yikes, I had no intention of confusing everyone. A lot of questions should be answered by the next chapter.


	31. Chapter 31: Dream Maker

Tears ran down his face as freely as his blood.

Goku had thought Super Saiyan God was an indescribably powerful transformation, but this new fury made the tranquility look weak. No matter how much stronger it was, this simply felt more intense. His golden hair stood on end like his father's. It was a good thing he'd unlocked such a power, but it had arrived far too late for his liking. Too late to save Bete.

To sum it up, it was a rush, but it wasn't a good one. Something was wrong, and Goku couldn't place it. It was similar to the feeling of dread that comes before vomiting. He took note that his heart was beating abnormally fast and with inconsistent rhythms, causing his chest a good deal of pain. Despite that, he continued walking, staring down at Broly for a change.

His father's warning was right. He felt as if his blood were boiling, like he was a stew of rage. Goku would have liked to say that reason was what caused him to desire finish Broly and not drag it out, but that wasn't the truth. Despite all the power, his energy was quickly draining. Not because of such a monumental metamorphosis he had undergone, but because of the pain in his chest.

Goku couldn't even muster a witty quip- he just stared Broly down with his teary eyes and charged an attack. In this case, he was the headlights and Broly the deer. He was an animal, and it was time to put him down.

Before Broly could even realize what was going on, Goku had punched a him in the stomach, full force. Three parts of Broly began to darken in that instant. His eyes, his hair, and the bruise growing on his abdomen. Then came the crashing boom of a thunder strike. Goku released a Dragon Fist into his opponent's face, sending Broly flying. The Legendary Super Saiyan careened through the air, hacking up blood as he passed through several buildings he hadn't already leveled. Goku sent an energy blast as a chaser for good measure, panting as he waited.

The now Super Saiyan Goku stood still as a statue, both arms extended until he felt Broly's life force flicker out. Only then did he allow his knees to waver. Exhausted, Goku toppled over like a sack of bricks.

His sense of impending doom only grew worse as his breath grew shorter. He clutched at his chest, his entire left arm aching, continuing to his shoulders. Goku let his jaw go slack, as even that felt as if he'd been chewing gum for days straight. His damp eyes flickered as he tried to remain conscious, but the light headedness proved too strong.

Goku passed out breathless and blue, just as his sister predicted.

OxOxO

When Goku came to, his eyes sluggishly darted to and fro as he attempted to regain his bearings. All he could see was a reflective ceiling, and by extension himself. He was currently within a sort of horizontal pod. Diodes covered his bare chest, and something was filtering intravenously through his wrists. He heard the steady beeping of the machine monitoring his heart. A clear mask covered his nose and mouth, shoving clean air down his throat.

Goku realized he was in a hospital of some sort. Not that it mattered if he were in captivity or something, he barely had the energy to turn his head. As he had barely any options, he went back to staring at himself. Most surprising of all was his general lack of wear and tear. He looked absolutely healed, physically.

Suddenly, memories of the battle he had just come out of popped into his head. "Bete!" Goku attempted to shoot up, banging his head against the medical capsule's door. Needless to say he collapsed back down. As his heart rate increased, so did the frequency of the monitor's beeping. Goku clutched his chest, his heart aching with every pound.

Something that hadn't happened in years occurred just then. He was taken off guard, frightened as a pair of tiny hands slapped onto the transparent window of his capsule. They were soon followed by the tear-stained and puffy face of Bete. Her eyes widened and she turned her head to the left, shouting "H-he's awake!" to someone he couldn't see.

Relief washed over him and in turn tears over his face. He was sure his face was more scrunched up and pudgier than a wailing newborn. He couldn't help it, he was just so overwhelmed.

"I… are you hurting?!"

"No…" he croaked. "I'm so glad you're okay… I thought… he killed you."

"I… I..." she blubbered. "You've been asleep for days- I'm doing all the stuff you, mom, and Raditz told me, but I'm still so scared…"

Goku found some of his strength. He swallowed hard and tried his hardest to appear strong. "It's okay now. I'm awake. You've done great, but now it's my turn to take over."

"The doctors said you're sick. I didn't tell them our names- they're strangers…" she whispered to the capsule.

"That's right, Ms. Nymity. Your brother, Mr. Nymity is very sick," she said sarcastically, "but he'll pull through eventually," a woman who was certain of herself said. Her footsteps were heavy. "You're lucky your pink friends were able to get you here before you croaked. I'm the only Saiyan doctor on the planet. If they used the standard dosages for humanoids, you'd be dead right now."

"I'm grateful, but why have Saiyan doctors if we rarely leave Vegeta..?"

The doctor's face soon hovered over his pod. She reached back and undid her spiky ponytail, revealing a hairstyle identical to his own. "I'm not a doctor for saiyans, I'm a doctor who is a saiyan."

She grabbed a scrunchie from her white coat and began fixing her hair back once more. She proceeded to press a button, causing half of the pod to elevate, so Goku was sitting up slightly.

"So that's another thing we have in common- wild hair that gets caught on everything… including itself…" he chuckled dryly.

"Yep. Though, people stopped asking if I'm related to Bardock since I moved here."

"I've never had that problem… Speaking of him, was he brought in here too?" he asked weakly, trying to sense his father's energy to no avail. Bete's survival gave him hope.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but no, he wasn't."

"There's more, isn't there?" he asked after a pause.

"I'm not sure your heart can handle it. You're not even strong enough to breathe on your own. Do you realize you've got a deadly cardiovascular condition that was only exacerbated by your fight?"

"I… Just rip the bandage off. Probably best to do it now rather than let the unknown eat at me," Goku supposed, mentally preparing himself.

"I suppose you've got a point. Plus, you'll hear it from someone eventually. Everyone at the battlefield is unaccounted for or dead- save for you, the girl, and a few of Frieza's mooks. But… like I said, that's just the combatants. A few cities were vaporized before evacuation started."

"Damn, so it wasn't enough…" he cursed, sighing to himself. The dragons would certainly not be pleased when he came to them with another wish of mass revival.

"A few cities is nothing compared to a few planets," she reminded him. "By the way, thank you. Not just for saving everyone's asses, but for putting down Broly. I knew him before he went crazy."

"Me too," he said distantly. Just how many lives had Broly gone and touched with his corrupt hands?

"Alright", she said, looking at the heart monitor, satisfied with the reading, "I'm sure you're still a little disoriented, so I'll leave you for now. I'll be back to provide more information about your condition and a means of contacting people close to you. Should I send your pink friends in here, or are you not ready to receive visitors?"

Goku furrowed his brows. He knew no pink people. "Show them on in," He croaked.

The doctor nodded, although he couldn't see it. "On it. Oh, by the way, my name is Doctor Yaisa, but since that's just the name the census bureau gave me because this planet believes in surnames, you can call me Sargomel."

Immediately the heart monitor began beeping in alarm. Goku clutched his chest. "Captain? W-how?"

Sargomel didn't take her eyes off of him or the monitor until the beeping subsided. When it had, she looked down at him with a steely glare, one filled with determination that he recognized.

"I'll be damned. Goku?" was all she could muster.

"Yeah."

"Wow. Listen- I've got other patients, so I'll be back. We've got tons to catch up on," she said, barely believing what was going on.

"I'm sorry about-"

"Stop. That's in the past. I'm sending the pink men in," she said, leaving. Goku could think of no other reason for her heavy footsteps to grow quieter and hydraulic hissing to be heard.

"You know her?"

"Yeah, but that can wait. Bete, who are the pink men she kept talking about?" He asked when his sister's face was above him.

"I don't know. She was right because, they did bring us here. They have healing powers, but they couldn't fix you all the way," she said, her face downcast.

The door hissed open as a few sets of footsteps entered the room.

Strangers didn't begin to cover it. Goku had never even dreamed of the odd style of robes they wore, let alone seen them. Their outfits looked stiff other than the bands around their midsections. One of the strangers- the shorter and more violet one, was obviously younger. His counterpart was easily twice his height and no doubt age with the way his reddish skin wrinkled. Both had snow white hair, but the younger's was styled into a Mohawk. The older of the two simply had long straight hair pulled back.

Their Mohawked visitor bowed lowly before encouraging his less enthusiastic friend. "Goku of Earth, we owe you greatly."

"No biggie," he said, more confused than ever. "Who exactly are you guys?"

"Yes, biggie," the younger one said. "You've done this universe an insurmountably great service. I am Shin, the Supreme Kai. This is my attendant Kibito."

He couldn't remember exactly where that title fell on the hierarchy of the heavens. "You're not going to erase me from existence for treading where mortals shouldn't, right?" He croaked, raising as much of his guard as he could.

"No, quite the opposite! I commend you for uncovering the secrets to divine energy. If you hadn't, I'm not sure Kibito and myself would've been able to discover and defeat Broly before he became too powerful for us. I've been assured that King Yemma is searching tirelessly to process Broly's soul into Hell," Shin said. "Once again, thank you."

"Oh," Goku sighed. "I just did what anyone in my position would've done."

"I wish that were true," Shin told him. "I'm honestly shocked that it was a responsible individual that attained what you did. I'm not the best Supreme Kai this universe could have."

"You're a nice guy from what I can tell," Goku said. "You healed me and my sister and brought us here, right? How bad could you be?"

"The heavens are quite understaffed right now. I'm not as involved with the affairs of mortals as I'd like to be. In the grand scheme of things, very bad."

"It's always better late than never," Goku supposed.

"Yes, I came to that realization myself, which is why I assisted you. Also because you did us a tremendous favor. And because I need your help," Shin admitted, his cheeks darkening.

"If it can wait til I'm a bit better-"

"Of course! There's no guarantee we'll ever need your help again, but it'd be a great service to have your assistance if need be. You see, the philosophy of the Kais of this universe is to step in only when mortals can't help themselves. It's so you all can grow as a whole." Shin explained. "Due to the lack of capable people, I've been focusing on stopping crises before they can happen. This is because of an instance where we were too late. A wizard named Bibidi created a monster born of pure evil named Majin Buu. This Buu went on to kill the North, West, South, and Grand Supreme Kais. I managed to seal him away after a… stroke of fortune, but I fear that due to the incompleteness of my training, he'll eventually break free. I have no reason to ask of this, but can I please count on you to assist in defeating Majin Buu if the time comes? We very well may need all the capable fighters in this universe."

"Yeah, sure."

Shin and Kibito looked at one another incredulously.

"Truthfully I didn't expect you to accept when I hadn't offered anything," Shin admitted.

"I'm not going to let any demon blow up the universe when I just worked so hard to keep it together. There's tons of innocent people, and people I love who live here, in the universe. Also, I live here," Goku said.

Shin smiled. "Well, still, I have something in exchange for your assistance. I can teach you the ins and outs of divine energy, if you wish. I may not be the best fighter, but I know how to use that energy efficiently, something I noticed you lacked."

"That'd be really awesome," Goku told him, offering a small smile. "I just need a few months. There's a bunch of stuff I have to do before I can leave everyone for a bit. I've had something on my mind since I woke up."

"Of course. You can decline if you wish. Whenever you're ready to discuss finer details, just press this button," Shin said, setting a small device resembling a pager on his bedstand. "I'll leave you to rest, Goku. Once again I owe you everything."

"No problem. Bye Shin, bye Kibito," he said, wishing he could wave them.

Shin and Kibito soon blinked out of existence, leaving just Goku and his sister.

"I can't understand any of this…" Bete moaned.

"That's okay. It's not your job to understand this- you're just a kid. Let me worry about everything," Goku asserted. "Let me see you again."

Bete moved to his field of vision. She looked abysmal. Her eyes were glassy from crying, complimented by dark violet bags under them. Goku could tell she'd really been all alone with him as he was. Bete's hair was almost as greasy as his, and he'd been near death for days.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Not since you died…"

Goku blinked absentmindedly for a moment. "What? No, I didn't die- I should know- I was there. I'm here."

"Kibito gave you his life..."

He had wondered why the visitors had halos. "I don't know what you saw, but I'm sorry you saw it. I may have won, but I let you down, so hard. I've failed you."

"You did your best," she said. "I'm just glad you're okay..."

"Me too," he said, yawning. "Why don't we get some sleep? It's too important for a kid to just skip out on."

Bete complied, curling up on a nearby chair. "I need you and Raditz more than beauty sleep," she yawned. After a moment of silence, she cleared her throat. "Uhm…"

"Right! How could I tell you to sleep and then not tell a story?" He croaked incredulously. "Alright. I don't think this planet has copies of Friendship Froggie Saves The Pond lyin' around, so I'm going to have to improvise."

"That's okay…" she cooed.

"Let's see… Have I ever told you that I didn't meet mom and dad until I was about thirteen- I think?"

"No," she said, fully alert.

Goku sighed. "Well you're in for a treat. Ya see, it all began when Bulma hit me with her car…"


	32. Chapter 31: Love Taker

Goku had fallen asleep shortly after his sister, but the opposite was true for the following morning. He was up, staring at his own reflection in the ceiling until he noticed someone at the edge of his peripheral.

"Sargomel?"

"Not quite, she's down the hall. She told me to give you this," the stranger said cockily.

Goku had no idea what "this" was, but it bounced off of the barrier keeping him in quarantine and clattered to the floor.

"Ah. Oops. What's up, Goku? Remember me, or have you been too busy getting your face reupholstered?"

"I'm not injured anymore, but I have no idea what's wrong," Goku said. It was almost as if his visitor were blind. "Niuno?" He blurted out as soon as the thought came to mind.

"That's right, it's me, pal! The lack of info is policy. The people here are at high risk for spook related death, so news is kept secret til' it doesn't need sugar coating. How the hell have you been? You know, besides getting the shit kicked out of you?" Niuno asked.

Goku made an effort to observe his old friend's new changes. Niuno was taller, but not nearly as tall as Raditz, let alone Broly. In fact, he was a head shorter than Sargomel. His hair was styled differently, it was slicked back rather than freely standing on end like grass. He still had the red headband pulled low over his eyes- or rather, their empty sockets.

"You're a sight for sore eyes…"

"I've never heard that one before," Niuno said sarcastically. "But seriously. What have you been up to? You just disappeared after King Cold's assassination."

"My dad sent my family into hiding when he started to rebel."

"Smart," Niuno supposed. "A man that strong, you'd have to hurt him with methods other than bare fists."

"I never considered it that way… I just thought he didn't want us involved in his conflict."

"It's my job to consider things that others wouldn't." he said, the slightest hint of goading in his voice.

Goku smirked. Niuno barely seemed to have changed. He was still a proud braggart. "What's that job?"

"Glad you asked. I'm a detective for this planet's government," he proudly declared, puffing his chest out.

"Aren't eyes… kind of important for that?"

"You'd think so, but there are so many other ways of collecting evidence, especially for a Saiyan. What I lack in sight, I make up for with my other senses. Ever heard of energy echolocation? I kind of invented it."

A familiar face poked her head through the doorway. "Yeah, you're like a tracking hound but you don't hump the evidence. As often."

Niuno grumbled.

"Sargomel," Goku croaked. "Mornin'."

"Good morning. It's the afternoon, by the way. You feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I'm conscious enough to know I'm missing a couple teeth."

"Do they hurt?"

"No."

"Good- you tell someone the second that sedative wears off. You're due for another dose in half an hour and we should be able to get you out of quarantine by tomorrow. I'm on call all day, so you just let someone know to get me if you need something," she said, leaving almost as suddenly as she came.

"Sorry, when she's in doctor mode, she's kind of like you with food. Can only see directly in front of her," Niuno explained.

Goku sighed. "So, what was that you threw at me?"

"A communicator, so that you can contact someone to let said someone know you're okay. That's not standard procedure, but Sargomel was certain there's someone out there worrying," he said, bending down to pick it up. "I guess I can't really give it to you if you're in the sick tank. Sargomel didn't think that far, I guess. Want me to make the call?"

"I wouldn't even know where to contact anyone. We were careful in having no trail to our hideout."

"You came here with Frieza. Where did you pick him up?" Niuno asked.

"I don't know. Somewhere Frieza and my dad had influence."

"Frieza Planet 418 is a neutral zone right now. It's just a system away. Should I start at the rebellion's embassy?"

Goku merely nodded, but corrected himself at Niuno's hesitant look. "Yes."

Niuno tapped at the device without missing a beat. "It's screen raises so I can read with my fingers."

"I'm Captain Chelerius of Bardock's Rebellion. This is a private line."

"Yeah, I know. I'm Sergeant Niuno Yaisa of the Gortyu Bureau of Investigation. I have news regarding the Legendary Super Saiyan," Niuno said, all gloating removed from his voice.

"I'm listening…"

"He's dead. So's Frieza. Bardock is un-"

"Hey!" Goku shouted, using all of his energy. "I'm the guy that killed the monster."

Niuno seemed to have understood that Bardock's whereabouts being unknown was not something to share. He moved his train of thought to a different track, spinning the communicator's camera to the bedridden Goku. "Yep. This is Bardock's son."

"Ha! You're the spitting image of him!" the captain shouted, his face lighting up. "Good work. Where's your father? If Frieza's dead, then this is the time to act!"

Niuno turned the device toward himself. "He's undergoing surgery for complicated injuries."

"Alright. Tell him to contact me when he's awake."

Niuno nodded. "Can you patch me through to his family? His son would like to check in."

"This isn't regulation, but I'll allow it if you can tell me the name of his eldest son. Should be easy for you."

The screen was turned towards Goku. "Raditz," he said tiredly. "Can I talk to him?"

"Sure," Chelerius said. In a matter of moments his brother was on screen. Before he could get a word in, he was shoved out of the way by smaller hands. Gine's worried face and wide eyes were all he could see.

"Goku! You look terrible. Is Bete alright?" she asked frantically.

He nodded, giving her an assuring smirk. "She's okay, and so am I."

Bete spoke up from out of the camera's range. "I'm just tired... Worry about Goku… He's sick!"

Gine bit her lip. "I was so certain I'd lost you both…"

"We're both here, completely fine," Goku lied.

"You keep saying that," she said, thoroughly annoyed. "This isn't a phone call, you know. I can see you! Tell me what happened!"

"Well, the battle was a little bit more than we expected. He knocked us around pretty bad before we could beat him."

Gine stared right through his bullshit. "What really happened?"

Goku avoided eye contact. "He killed Tarble and Frieza and I almost blew up my heart by going Super Saiyan. I think."

His mother's expression went wild with worry and shock. "What?!"

"Yeah, I managed to go Super Saiyan!"

"Goku…"

"...I caught some kind of disease and made it worse by overexerting myself. I'll be fine, because I made it to a hospital in time."

Gine's doe eyes widened with sympathy. "I'm on my-"

"No, don't worry about me," he sighed. "You focus on heading back to Ea- uh- Capsule Corp. People died. Tell Shenron."

"Okay," she said after brief deliberation. It was clear she wanted nothing more than to scoop up her babies. "I'd say send Bete, but I don't want her traveling space alone. Can you stay with Goku?"

Bete nodded, despite the fact that her mother couldn't see it. "I'll take care of him."

Goku and Gine smirked. "Alright. I know he's in safe hands," There was a brief but awkward pause as Gine looked expectant. "I haven't heard your father's… Bardockness. You also didn't include him in the list of dead. Is he..?"

"Uhm."

Niuno took the reins, moving the communicator to his face. "He's unaccounted for. No one knows where he is, alive or… not. Yet, that is. There are quite a few who still need identification."

"Niuno! I… see. Thank you," she said graciously.

"Someone will contact you whenever we get news," Niuno told her.

Goku yawned, signaling the end of their call. "Goodbye and thank you," Gine told them. "Stay safe. Please."

Goku sighed. "You too, mom.

Niuno tucked the communicator away, saluting at the sibling. "I came here mainly to question you, but I can tell now's not a good time. It's been good meeting you again. Rest up, you've earned it."

He nodded, closing his eyes. It almost scared him just how tired he felt despite just waking up. All part of the healing process, he supposed. "Wake me if you need me, Bete."

OxOxO

The air didn't smell quite so sterile when he was awake. Goku raised a hand experimentally, discovering his glass ceiling was gone.

"Morning…" Bete said, sounding thoroughly bored.

"Am I cured?"

"No, but you won't get people sick…"

"That's good." Goku nodded, propping himself up on his elbows. Every inch of his body was sore, and his heartbeat pounded in his ears. "I'd hate for you to catch whatever this is."

"What are you doing?"

Goku shrugged, sliding back into a sitting position. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty bored. Should we go for a walk?"

"But you can't…" she said, her expression and swaying tail betraying her.

"I'm sure we can find something like a wheelchair. Maybe a space wheelchair," he suggested.

She narrowed her eyes. "Do they really have those?"

"Planet Vegeta didn't, I think, but this is a whole different place. Hospitals didn't look anything like this on Vegeta," he explained, smirking. She was completely enthused, and they hadn't gone anywhere. "Maybe the wheelchairs float."

Bete stood up and pressed some button on the wall he assumed would summon a nurse. His hunch was proven correct when a short Bas entered the room, all four eyes trained on him and wide with concern.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm just fine," he said.

"Thank the stars," she breathed, releasing an anxious breath. "I'd be hated worse than that monster if I let the man who killed it die. What do you need?"

He paused in thought. "Do you have a wheelchair or something I can use to leave this room? I'm getting antsy."

"Wheel… chair? You mean a rolling seat?"

"If that's what you call them here, yes."

Sure enough, minutes later, the nurse wheeled in a contraption noticeably more advanced looking than the Earth technology. How a chair with wheels could look like it from the future was beyond his comprehension. With a small struggle and the aid of his sister and the nurse, he plopped down into the comfortable seat. The Bas nurse took another few minutes to attach everything hooked up to him to the back of the wheelchair, which oddly resembled a toilet with its back storage compartment. When his heart rate and breathing were acceptable, he wheeled himself along, sister in tow.

The halls were filled with doctors, nurses, and distraught people power walking to and fro. It was indicative of how destructive the battle between him and Broly had been.

Goku was lost in thought, rubbing circles on his sister's hand absentmindedly. A tap to his shoulder caught his attention, so he whipped around to see the one requesting his attention. Some low to the ground offworlder approached him. His insectoid eyes were yellow and his face blue. On his strange chest armor was the symbol of the Galactic Patrol, which immediately caused Goku to frown.

"You were involved in the altercation involving Broly, the rogue Saiyan, correct?"

"That's right," Goku said. "Where I'm from, people give greetings before questioning."

"Hello, I am Jaco and I was under the impression the Saiyan greeting for off worlders was genocide."

"Then you haven't met any saiyans recently. We've been moving away from conquest since we joined Cooler."

"That has nothing to do with the fact that the universe is underpopulated and you'd have no one to fight, right?"

Goku sighed. "Look, what do you want?"

"To interview you for an action movie I'm writing with my girlfriend," he said, holding up a camera.

He shook his head after a moment of being stunned silent. "Sorry, not right now. I'm exhausted," he said, wheeling himself away.

The patrolman stepped in front of the wheelchair, stopping Goku suddenly. "Then for my official report to Galactic Patrol HQ."

Goku glared at him with fury unbecoming of a hospital patient. In a moment, he summoned all of his energy and blew a hole through the patroller's camera, singeing his hand. "No way. I know what your Patrol does to high risk planets like this."

Jaco nodded frantically, rubbing his burnt hand. "I'm sorry! I won't! Please don't kill me."

Unfortunately this was the attitude of most killers. In his opinion, people should give what they expect to receive. Those who couldn't handle their own heat should stay out of the kitchen. "I won't. Try and remember how you feel right now the next time you try to destroy a planet."

"I- you- dispatch has never let me condemn a populated planet before. That hasn't happened in the history of the Galactic Patrol! It's merely a safeguard!"

Goku sank into his wheelchair sheepishly when he felt no deceit. "Really? That's totally my bad then. Can I replace your camera? I'd be more than willing to help ya' write your film."

Jaco stared at him apprehensively before breaking out into a smile. "That would be wonderful. All of it! You're very agreeable for a saiyan."

"Well, I only lived on Vegeta for a few years," he said. "I've never traded a single planet," he was quick to add.

Jaco made a quizzical noise. "Oh, so you're a defective infiltration baby then? The planet you were sent to sure was lucky!"

"Yep! I consider it home, even over Vegeta."

"Where were you sent? Whatever Patrolman was assigned to your planet must be one incompetent nincompoop!"

Goku took a moment to consider whether or not he should answer. He supposed as long as he said nothing about the dragon balls or it being a hiding place, it was safe to say for the sake of small talk.

"Earth, in the Milky Way Galaxy," he answered truthfully.

Jaco seized up, looking as if his entire life was a lie. "Oh…"

"What's wrong, you know the guy who was supposed to kill me personally or something?"

"Something like that. You'll have to excuse me," Jaco said, turning about 180 degrees and walking off into the hospital traffic.

Goku raised an eyebrow. His sister tugged on his hospital tunic's sleeve, beckoning for his ear. Complying, he leaned down.

"Do you know everyone in this hospital?"

Her brother shrugged. "Maybe."

OxOxO

Someone with a purple biogem and two conical horns was the first thing Bardock saw when his eyes opened after days. "FRIEZA!" He shouted hoarsely, grasping the Arcosian by his neck. Bardock, of course, let go and fell back into his hospital bed almost immediately. Exhaustion, tubes connected to him, and incessant beeping kept him down, breathing heavily.

The tyrant's lookalike rubbed his throat as he rose up from the floor. "Well, it would appear he still has his strength."

Bardock vomited clear fluid onto his lap. "What the hell is going on?" He panted, wiping his mouth clean.

"Sir, I need you to remain calm. You've undergone an extremely severe concussion."

"Cut the bullshit. I can handle the news. I'm not Bas."

"We need your blood pressure low, otherwise your brain could begin to hemorrhage again," the Frieza lookalike informed him.

Looking into the reflective ceiling, he could see a blood soaked bandage around his forehead. It was a good look, he thought. He took a deep breath, relaxing as it all came back to him. "Give me a status report."

The doctor looked around anxiously. "I… believe I just did?"

"No, about the situation that just occurred on this planet. I fought that monster. I'm alive, so I assume he's dead?"

"You're Bardock?!" one of the nurses exclaimed.

"Ahem. Yes, he perished. Another Saiyan that looks a lot like you is believed to have killed that rogue beast."

"How many other Saiyans are still alive?"

The arcosian looked conflicted as he paused for a moment. "Just Saiyans? Three are in this hospital. The hero identical to you, a small girl, and a tall man believed to have just been a victim to this catastrophe."

Bardock nodded and went to fold his arms, only to recall his loss of limb as he stared at a bandage wrapped around his stump. "Ah."

"You also lost your hand," the doctor informed him. "I've never seen a cut so clean, so luckily, attaching a prosthesis should be quite simple."

He merely grunted in confirmation. "Move me to the hero's room. He's my son, and the little girl is probably my daughter."

Frieza's doppelgänger glared at him. "Look, I've already bent the rules enough times for you. I've thrown all my protocol out the window. Besides, the saiyan doctor doing rounds hasn't even made her way here yet to check on you. So, no, you're staying here. If they are your progeny, then it's safe to assume they'd prefer you alive."

Bardock stared right back before grumbling. He was no use to anyone dead. "Alright, I'll wait for my examination. But as soon as I'm well enough, I'm heading to his room myself."

The doctor sighed and shook his head. "Don't overexert yourself."

"I know my own limits," Bardock told him.

"Saiyans seem to think they have none."

"That's where I'm not like most Saiyans."

"Time will tell, I suppose."

OxOxO

Bulma yanked the drawer out of the desk in Goku's room, scattering technique names and attacks on loose paper all over the carpet. "Holy crap. If he takes the location of the last Dragon Ball to the grave, I swear I'm flying to Namek just to wish him back to life and kill him again."

"Give him a break," Yamcha chuckled nervously. "I'm sure he didn't mean to forget to tell us."

"I know he didn't- he's got a lot on his plate. That's why we have to find it without his help. He's done too much for us to fail at this one task without him." Bulma declared.

Ruco shrugged. "I don't think he'd mind. We'd still be tracking it down anyway, even if it did show up on the radar."

"We could just ask that fortune teller. She told Goku where it was anyway," Puar pitched in.

Bulma shook her head immediately. "Nah, he said she's a cheapskate- and the lines are too long," she sighed. "Let's just call him…"

Distantly, on the planet Gortyu, Goku's datanet surfing was interrupted by the ringing notification of a video call. He of course answered, smiling at the face of Ruco.

"Hey, Goku, how you feeling?" she asked.

"Pretty okay. Did you know Pepper Banejero retired to start a family? They cancelled all of her shows!" he exclaimed. "And my favorite action movie director died in a stunt accident."

Ruco's mood soured. Ms. Banejero was her favorite drama actress. "You're joking... Good for her, though. A lot happens in a few years, I guess…"

Bulma cleared her throat, commandeering the feed. Goku's joyfulness shining through despite his physical weariness stunned her for a moment, leaving her speechless.

"Bulma," he said. "It's awesome to see you. Did you all make it to you-know-where safely and use the you-know-whats?"

"Yes, we arrived, but as for using the things… eh… not exactly."

"Oh, that's right," he said sheepishly. "I never told anyone where it was… I figured since we didn't need them, I'd let whoever had the one look for the others. I mean- look at where you've gone and who you met on your journey. Looking for the you-know-whats is a valuable life experience," Goku explained.

Bulma nodded, smirking. "How noble. Sadly we've got to cut things short for them. If they're good guys, I think we should let them claim the wish after ours."

"That sounds good to me."

There was an awkward pause. "Do you remember where the ball was?"

"Right! Sorry. I was a bit distracted."

"Looking at me?" she teased, causing both their cheeks to darken.

"It's at a castle construction site on the western edge of Diablo Desert inside some sorta Dragon Radar blocking box," he answered, ignoring her irrelevant question. "Yamcha should be able to find it."

Bulma pinched the bridge of her nose. "Goku… This construction site wouldn't happen to be near the castle where a little goblin, a dog, and a middle aged woman almost cooked us alive the night of a full moon, would it?"

"That's- I suppose it would be," he chuckled nervously as he thought about it.

"Great," Bulma muttered. She passed the communicator to Ruco as she scribbled this down.

"I wouldn't worry too much about the Pilaf Gang. If they cause trouble they'll be no match for Yamcha and Ruco."

"They're pretty harmless now," Bulma assumed. "Should be a piece of cake. Got any specific wish wording?"

"Bring back everyone killed by the Legendary Super Saiyan Broly," Goku said satisfiedly after a brief moment to think.

Ruco froze, handing the device over to Yamcha as she paced around the room. "Broly?! Like, Quash Broly? Broly who hurt us all?"

"Yeah, I killed Quash," Goku said solemnly. "If it makes you feel any better, the one I fought wasn't the same as the one we were friends with. The transformation corrupted him, I think. Just the mention of my name drove him insane."

"It doesn't." She scoffed. "He crushed my trachea, your hand, and caused our friends to become maimed."

"Sounds like the universe is short a scumbag. Good job in my opinion," Yamcha praised.

Goku shrugged. All in a day's work.


End file.
